...some days are stone. Today is stone, with a few little diamonds thrown in to make it livable.
Woke up at 4:30 this morning and thought to myself, "Wow! I feel great!" I lay there in bed wondering what I had done differently during the previous hours to cause myself to feel so good physically at that point. Finally went back to sleep around 6:30 still feeling great - and woke up at 8:30, aching all over. Ouch.
This happens every once in awhile. I have what I call 'A Really Good Day' with little or no arthritis pain anywhere in my body, a cheerful attitude and a general feeling of well-being all over. I don't know what causes them - or for that matter, what causes the typical day where I have aches and pains that are normal and livable. Then there are days like today where I can hardly move because I am so stiff and sore all over. I guess these things are "normal" and just a part of arthritis. I've wondered about fibromyalgia, but I don't think I have the other symptoms - and that's good.
So, I took a couple more ibuprofen about an hour ago and some of the pain in my right thumb has subsided, but I'm still feeling stiff and achy all over. Maybe it's the weather? Actually, I think there is some truth to that. It's much colder again today and a weather front is/has moved through. We were supposed to get snow but only a few diamond crystal flakes have fallen so far. Everything is covered in a very light coat and the trees are sparkling beautifully in the noon sunshine.
This song has little to do with what I was writing about, except for the title. I like the title. :-) I like the song, too. I think John Denver looks sad in this video.
Showing posts with label YouTube. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YouTube. Show all posts
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Friday, May 07, 2010
Southwestern Colorado
It's kind of strange, maybe, but I don't like to write very much about what we do, but I'd rather write about where we go and what I think about. So, this is not a blog about our ministry, no, not that at all. I've thought about that recently (again!) and I think it's because I feel a very real sense of privacy for other people. I want to protect other's privacy and thus I don't write very much about them. "Them" being the people we visit, the people we work with, specific people - Ukrainian or American, except in occasional posts. I want my privacy and I'm sure they want theirs. It's so hard to come by privacy today!!
Therefore, I'm not going to write about what we did in Southwestern Colorado, except to say that the church in Montrose was a real blessing to us. We so enjoyed our time there with the church body. It was busy, but restful. We talked and talked, but we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the surrounding area.
We are currently in Wyoming and the church here is also treating us this way, but I'll have to write about that in another post. Soon, I hope!!
~*~*~*~*~
When we arrived in Montrose, we drove over to the address we had been sent. It was wonderful!! The owner of the home was housesitting for her parents a couple miles away and her house was empty. So, she gave us the key, showed us where everything was at (including a stocked fridge) and drove away. Oh my! It was wonderful! (Did I say that before?) We had a whole day to our selves. We slept in. We ate good food. I didn't get dressed until I wanted to do so. We read. I worked on the new college course I'm taking: Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe. And we went for a nice drive.
We weren't sure where we wanted to go, but why waste the whole day sitting inside when it was so beautiful outdoors? So, we turned south and headed toward Ouray and Red Mountain Pass. On the way into Ouray:
And from on the mountain above Ouray:
Red Mountain Pass is amazing. Scary. I actually closed my eyes at some points so I wouldn't have to see where we were at. :-) 
Here is a photo that I really, really like:
We drove up to the top and then turned around and came back down. Following are a few photos that show the same road from the downhill view. I kept my eyes open here - obviously :-) - and took these photos: 
Somewhere on one of the switchbacks down, we passed these memorial markers: 
And these markers reminded me of my teenage years and CW McCall's "Riverside Slide" ">
Therefore, I'm not going to write about what we did in Southwestern Colorado, except to say that the church in Montrose was a real blessing to us. We so enjoyed our time there with the church body. It was busy, but restful. We talked and talked, but we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the surrounding area.
We are currently in Wyoming and the church here is also treating us this way, but I'll have to write about that in another post. Soon, I hope!!
When we arrived in Montrose, we drove over to the address we had been sent. It was wonderful!! The owner of the home was housesitting for her parents a couple miles away and her house was empty. So, she gave us the key, showed us where everything was at (including a stocked fridge) and drove away. Oh my! It was wonderful! (Did I say that before?) We had a whole day to our selves. We slept in. We ate good food. I didn't get dressed until I wanted to do so. We read. I worked on the new college course I'm taking: Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe. And we went for a nice drive.
We weren't sure where we wanted to go, but why waste the whole day sitting inside when it was so beautiful outdoors? So, we turned south and headed toward Ouray and Red Mountain Pass. On the way into Ouray:
And from on the mountain above Ouray:
Red Mountain Pass is amazing. Scary. I actually closed my eyes at some points so I wouldn't have to see where we were at. :-) 
Here is a photo that I really, really like:
We drove up to the top and then turned around and came back down. Following are a few photos that show the same road from the downhill view. I kept my eyes open here - obviously :-) - and took these photos: 
Somewhere on one of the switchbacks down, we passed these memorial markers: 
And these markers reminded me of my teenage years and CW McCall's "Riverside Slide" ">
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Three Mountain Lion Articles
Andrew and I were talking a few nights ago. He told me he had parked "up at the top" of the hill and walked home that night due to the snow and ice on the road. This is the usual thing to do - we've done it for almost 40 years up at my parents. Andrew then told me that as he was walking he remembered what someone had told him at church: Division of Wildlife has documented 4 mountain lions (cougars) in the Catamount area. ("Catamount" is another word for mountain lion/cougar.) Guess where my parents and Andrew live? Yep - in the Catamount area. Andrew was immediately spooked and made it home in very good time. :-)
Members of my family have seen mountain lions several times over the almost 40 years they've lived up there. I've written about it before, but I pray often for my parent's safety and for Stirling's safety when any of them are outside. All 3 are prime targets for a lion attack, due to size and/or age.
Following are 2 recent articles and one YouTube video about very recent attacks in Utah. We saw the original video on the news while we were in Grand Junction, CO.
"Mother Stops Cougar Attack With Nothing But a Rag
Armed with nothing more than a scrub rag, a mother in British Columbia rescued her 7-year-old son from being mauled by a cougar outside their church.
David Metzler Jr. was pinned down in the snow by a cougar the morning of Dec. 31, the Globe and Mail reports. He was bleeding from his scalp and back when his mother Mary Metzler ran out of the Mennonite church in Danskin, British Columbia (a town of 2,000 about 400 miles from the southeast tip of Alaska). She brandished nothing but a rag.
"I saw this animal on top of my son with his mouth at his head," she tells the Globe and Mail. "I knew if I went back and took time to call for help, it would be too late."
She smacked the animal on the head with the rag. You might expect this to be little more than an annoyance for a 66-pound cougar. However, it contritely dropped the boy and fled.
"I just took it and hit him in the face," Metzler tells the paper.
Metzler took her three children to the church to tidy up that morning. The children -- ages 2, 5 and 7 -- played outside. The church volunteer tells the paper she went to the stockroom for cleaning supplies. She had just picked up a rag the size of face towel when she heard the children screaming.
"I've heard children scream before, but nothing like this," she tells the Globe and Mail. "I knew instantly. It was a petrified scream."
Metzler went to the window and saw David Jr. being mauled.
"I didn't recognize it as a cougar at first," she tells the paper. "I just knew it was an animal on top of my son."
The cougar had taken the boy to the ground about three yards outside the church door. Just as Metzler got within striking distance, the cougar raised its head.
"It looked at me, eye to eye," she tells the paper.
She got her son inside the building and raced outside for her other children, unaware there was probably a second cougar skulking nearby.
Metzler tells the Globe and Mail she thinks two of the children were sliding on a nearby hill when the youngest fell, and her brother ran to help her up. Then they saw the cougar and screamed.
"At first they froze," Metzler tells the paper. "Then Davey made a run for the door, and that's when the cougar got him."
The Globe and Mail reports the boy's wounds were minor, and he was back at school within days.
Conservation officers tracked down two female cougars and killed them.
This was the second cougar attack in British Columbia in recent days. On Jan. 2, 11-year-old Austin Forman tells the Globe and Mail his golden retriever saved him from getting mauled outside his home in Boston Bar in southern British Columbia.
Chad Gravelle of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shot and killed the cougar during its fight with the dog in the Formans' yard.
As for the incident in Danskin, the cougar that attacked his son should have known better, David Metzler Sr. tells the Globe and Mail. "It's a mother's instinct: 'Don't mess with my kids.'
Mountain Lion Shot after Killing Family Dog
PEOA, Utah - Elain Jorgenson walked outside her house to feed her dog only to discover her 11-year-old Yorkshire Terrier mauled to death, bloodied and in nearly an unrecognizable state. She turned around and took two steps back to find a Mountain Lion hissing at her. Reeling in shock, she turned and ran into the house calling out her husband. "So I'm yelling at him 'please get the gun'; he shoots it, we call 911 to let them know what happened."
The couple is from Peoa, a small town just northeast of Park City, nestled in the mountains.
Wildlife experts call this an isolated incident, but warn those to be safe and try to keep pets inside as much as possible this winter.
"This situation was a young juvenile cat, first winter on its own in my estimation...looking for food in the winter," Jorgenson says.
Dog Saves Boy from Cougar
Members of my family have seen mountain lions several times over the almost 40 years they've lived up there. I've written about it before, but I pray often for my parent's safety and for Stirling's safety when any of them are outside. All 3 are prime targets for a lion attack, due to size and/or age.
Following are 2 recent articles and one YouTube video about very recent attacks in Utah. We saw the original video on the news while we were in Grand Junction, CO.
"Mother Stops Cougar Attack With Nothing But a Rag
Armed with nothing more than a scrub rag, a mother in British Columbia rescued her 7-year-old son from being mauled by a cougar outside their church.
David Metzler Jr. was pinned down in the snow by a cougar the morning of Dec. 31, the Globe and Mail reports. He was bleeding from his scalp and back when his mother Mary Metzler ran out of the Mennonite church in Danskin, British Columbia (a town of 2,000 about 400 miles from the southeast tip of Alaska). She brandished nothing but a rag.
"I saw this animal on top of my son with his mouth at his head," she tells the Globe and Mail. "I knew if I went back and took time to call for help, it would be too late."
She smacked the animal on the head with the rag. You might expect this to be little more than an annoyance for a 66-pound cougar. However, it contritely dropped the boy and fled.
"I just took it and hit him in the face," Metzler tells the paper.
Metzler took her three children to the church to tidy up that morning. The children -- ages 2, 5 and 7 -- played outside. The church volunteer tells the paper she went to the stockroom for cleaning supplies. She had just picked up a rag the size of face towel when she heard the children screaming.
"I've heard children scream before, but nothing like this," she tells the Globe and Mail. "I knew instantly. It was a petrified scream."
Metzler went to the window and saw David Jr. being mauled.
"I didn't recognize it as a cougar at first," she tells the paper. "I just knew it was an animal on top of my son."
The cougar had taken the boy to the ground about three yards outside the church door. Just as Metzler got within striking distance, the cougar raised its head.
"It looked at me, eye to eye," she tells the paper.
She got her son inside the building and raced outside for her other children, unaware there was probably a second cougar skulking nearby.
Metzler tells the Globe and Mail she thinks two of the children were sliding on a nearby hill when the youngest fell, and her brother ran to help her up. Then they saw the cougar and screamed.
"At first they froze," Metzler tells the paper. "Then Davey made a run for the door, and that's when the cougar got him."
The Globe and Mail reports the boy's wounds were minor, and he was back at school within days.
Conservation officers tracked down two female cougars and killed them.
This was the second cougar attack in British Columbia in recent days. On Jan. 2, 11-year-old Austin Forman tells the Globe and Mail his golden retriever saved him from getting mauled outside his home in Boston Bar in southern British Columbia.
Chad Gravelle of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shot and killed the cougar during its fight with the dog in the Formans' yard.
As for the incident in Danskin, the cougar that attacked his son should have known better, David Metzler Sr. tells the Globe and Mail. "It's a mother's instinct: 'Don't mess with my kids.'
Mountain Lion Shot after Killing Family Dog
PEOA, Utah - Elain Jorgenson walked outside her house to feed her dog only to discover her 11-year-old Yorkshire Terrier mauled to death, bloodied and in nearly an unrecognizable state. She turned around and took two steps back to find a Mountain Lion hissing at her. Reeling in shock, she turned and ran into the house calling out her husband. "So I'm yelling at him 'please get the gun'; he shoots it, we call 911 to let them know what happened."
The couple is from Peoa, a small town just northeast of Park City, nestled in the mountains.
Wildlife experts call this an isolated incident, but warn those to be safe and try to keep pets inside as much as possible this winter.
"This situation was a young juvenile cat, first winter on its own in my estimation...looking for food in the winter," Jorgenson says.
Dog Saves Boy from Cougar
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Circles and Tunnels and Asps - Oh My!
I like YouTube. Yes, I do. Over the past couple of weeks I've watched some documentaries.
The first one was on Cleopatra. I've also read a really good book about her within the last couple of years. Fascinating woman. Amazing how much we think we know about her and how much we reall do NOT know about her. Very little archeological evidence for her life and death exists. Did she die by the bite of an asp? We do not know for sure.
A few days ago I downloaded a YouTube documentary on crop circles. Funny things, those crop circles and other shapes that appear overnight and sometimes within the matter of just a couple hours or so. I found the documentary very interesting. I'm going to look more into them as time permits. I do wonder, however, if there is a connection with all of the UFO sighting reports that come out of the UK, the crop circles, places like Stonehenge and the 'old religions'. For example - Ireland is known for it's leprechauns and faeries. The celts had their Merlin and assorted other mythical characters involved in magic. And of course the Druids were/are all over the UK. One of the things I did not know before is that these circles have been reported for almost 500 years, but the shear number now is amazing. One of the guys they interviewed had been to between 700 and 800 to study them. I thought they were a new thing. Some of the crop circles are obviously man-made. Others, however, are obviously NOT man-made - but who or what did make them? I have my opinions.
Last night I downloaded a BBC documentary on Near Death Experiences (NDE). Very, very interesting show. Gave me a lot of food for thought. At this point I don't have an opinion on the whole subject, just a ton of questions. It's interesting to me that everyone talks about that tunnel of light. I get a tunnel of light while I'm passing out. :-) :-) Not that I pass out very often! Twice in my life. Twice in 55+ years is not very often. But I DO remember those tunnels of light. heh heh
We've also watched a documentary on an ancient civilization in Peru, and a series on underwater cities (archeological, not construction of them), and I've watched some things on the Nasca lines in Peru (I'm not into the UFO stuff with that, but the true study of them is quite interesting - and there was even an article on them on FoxNews today).
So, that is part of why I haven't been writing very much. Another part is that I am in the "stressed out to the point I'm in denial" part of leaving here for 6 months back in the States. So much to do, so little time - let's watch something on YouTube! heh heh heh
The first one was on Cleopatra. I've also read a really good book about her within the last couple of years. Fascinating woman. Amazing how much we think we know about her and how much we reall do NOT know about her. Very little archeological evidence for her life and death exists. Did she die by the bite of an asp? We do not know for sure.
A few days ago I downloaded a YouTube documentary on crop circles. Funny things, those crop circles and other shapes that appear overnight and sometimes within the matter of just a couple hours or so. I found the documentary very interesting. I'm going to look more into them as time permits. I do wonder, however, if there is a connection with all of the UFO sighting reports that come out of the UK, the crop circles, places like Stonehenge and the 'old religions'. For example - Ireland is known for it's leprechauns and faeries. The celts had their Merlin and assorted other mythical characters involved in magic. And of course the Druids were/are all over the UK. One of the things I did not know before is that these circles have been reported for almost 500 years, but the shear number now is amazing. One of the guys they interviewed had been to between 700 and 800 to study them. I thought they were a new thing. Some of the crop circles are obviously man-made. Others, however, are obviously NOT man-made - but who or what did make them? I have my opinions.
Last night I downloaded a BBC documentary on Near Death Experiences (NDE). Very, very interesting show. Gave me a lot of food for thought. At this point I don't have an opinion on the whole subject, just a ton of questions. It's interesting to me that everyone talks about that tunnel of light. I get a tunnel of light while I'm passing out. :-) :-) Not that I pass out very often! Twice in my life. Twice in 55+ years is not very often. But I DO remember those tunnels of light. heh heh
We've also watched a documentary on an ancient civilization in Peru, and a series on underwater cities (archeological, not construction of them), and I've watched some things on the Nasca lines in Peru (I'm not into the UFO stuff with that, but the true study of them is quite interesting - and there was even an article on them on FoxNews today).
So, that is part of why I haven't been writing very much. Another part is that I am in the "stressed out to the point I'm in denial" part of leaving here for 6 months back in the States. So much to do, so little time - let's watch something on YouTube! heh heh heh
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Indonesian Asteroid
INDONESIAN ASTEROID: Picture this: A 10-meter wide asteroid hits Earth and explodes in the atmosphere with the energy of a small atomic bomb. Frightened by thunderous sounds and shaking walls, people rush out of their homes, thinking that an earthquake is in progress. All they see is a twisting trail of debris in the mid-day sky.
This really happened on Oct. 8th around 11 am local time in the coastal town of Bone, Indonesia. The Earth-shaking blast received remarkably little coverage in Western press, but meteor scientists have given it their full attention. "The explosion triggered infrasound sensors of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) more than 10,000 km away," report researchers Elizabeth Silber and Peter Brown of the Univ. of Western Ontario in an Oct. 19th press release. Their analysis of the infrasound data revealed an explosion at coordinates 4.5S, 120E (close to Bone) with a yield of about 50 kton of TNT. That's two to three times more powerful than World War II-era atomic bombs.
The asteroid that caused the blast was not known before it hit and took astronomers completely by surprise. According to statistical studies of the near-Earth asteroid population, such objects are expected to collide with Earth on average every 2 to 12 years. "Follow-on observations from other instruments or ground recovery efforts would be very valuable in further refining this unique event," say Silber and Brown.
from: www.spaceweather.com October 28, 2009
This really happened on Oct. 8th around 11 am local time in the coastal town of Bone, Indonesia. The Earth-shaking blast received remarkably little coverage in Western press, but meteor scientists have given it their full attention. "The explosion triggered infrasound sensors of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) more than 10,000 km away," report researchers Elizabeth Silber and Peter Brown of the Univ. of Western Ontario in an Oct. 19th press release. Their analysis of the infrasound data revealed an explosion at coordinates 4.5S, 120E (close to Bone) with a yield of about 50 kton of TNT. That's two to three times more powerful than World War II-era atomic bombs.
The asteroid that caused the blast was not known before it hit and took astronomers completely by surprise. According to statistical studies of the near-Earth asteroid population, such objects are expected to collide with Earth on average every 2 to 12 years. "Follow-on observations from other instruments or ground recovery efforts would be very valuable in further refining this unique event," say Silber and Brown.
from: www.spaceweather.com October 28, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
I just filled out one of those little "note" things that go around on facebook and one of the questions was 'what song is going through your mind right now?' Well, this is the song that has been going through my mind for several days. I haven't sung it in a long time out loud. So sad - we seldom sing about Christ's second coming nowadays. As a kid, we sang about it often in church. Todays church is too focused on me, me, me, I, I , I. So very little on Christ. Even though we may say I praise You - who is the You? So sad. So, I will continue singing this in my mind and maybe, while Mel is gone, I'll belt out a couple verses to the cat and fish. :-)
Christ Returneth!
1. It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,
When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking
That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory
To receive from the world "His own."
2. It may be at midday, it may be at twilight,
It may be, perchance, that the blackness of midnight
Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory,
When Jesus receives "His own."
3. While its hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven descending,
With glorified saints and the angels attending,
With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory,
Will Jesus receive "His own."
4. Oh, joy! oh, delight! should we go without dying,
No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying.
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,
When Jesus receives "His own."
Chorus:
O Lord Jesus, how long, how long
Ere we shout the glad song,
Christ returneth! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Amen.
Lyrics: H. L. Turner
Music: James McGranahan
Toogdag 2008 - Amsterdam Ghana SDA church Choir
Christ Returneth!
1. It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,
When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking
That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory
To receive from the world "His own."
2. It may be at midday, it may be at twilight,
It may be, perchance, that the blackness of midnight
Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory,
When Jesus receives "His own."
3. While its hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven descending,
With glorified saints and the angels attending,
With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory,
Will Jesus receive "His own."
4. Oh, joy! oh, delight! should we go without dying,
No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying.
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,
When Jesus receives "His own."
Chorus:
O Lord Jesus, how long, how long
Ere we shout the glad song,
Christ returneth! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Amen.
Lyrics: H. L. Turner
Music: James McGranahan
Toogdag 2008 - Amsterdam Ghana SDA church Choir
Friday, October 09, 2009
I Needed A Good Laugh Tonight
After the news about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize, I really needed a good laugh tonight. Oh my!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Seeing and Understanding
Programs like this are wonderful when you trust your government. However, when your government is trying to control every aspect of your life, it is a different story.
I wish I could believe in the purposes for programs like these being truly altruistic. Unfortunately, I know that the heart of man is evil and that power corrupts. Fortunately, I also know Who is ultimately in control of every thing that happens on this earth, and that He has ordained what will come to pass from before the creation of the universe.
We live in interesting times. I become more and more aware every week that most people cannot see beyond the end of their noses. Most people cannot put 2 and 2 together and see what is really happening in our world. Most people do not want to know at all.
I weep.
Mel and I have been reading a lot about what is happening in the Church, especially in the States. She, the Church, has wandered far, far from her roots. New Age spiritualism is being accepted, many churches are geared toward "doing what is right in their own eyes" rather than preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ (repent of your sin! Jesus Christ is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, Jesus is the only way to reach God - in other words, following what God Himself has said is the only way to be His child and to worship Him, the Holy Bible). We read of how false doctrines are taking root, God is being blasphemed by misrepresentations of Him (The Shack, as one example), the Emerging Church, Purpose Driven Life indoctrination and subsequent movement toward unholy union with the world, and much, much more. This is REAL. People follow their leaders like sheep to the slaughter and never open their Bibles to study and see if what they are being taught is TRUTH or simply tickling of their ears.
Yesterday between church and our Sunday team dinner together I had an emotional melt-down of sorts. Ended up weeping over the evil I see around us, my concerns for my children and family members, and frustration over the apparent blindness of so many people I know. There are very, very few people I can talk to about these things. There are many people who also see what is going on, but they have gone off the deep end, one direction or another, and I do not want to be labeled in their respective groups.
Because I cannot freely talk to others, when I do talk about it, I am like a shaken bottle of champagne.
As Mel told me yesterday, there is a balance that needs to be found. During the conversation, somewhere exactly I don't remember, I asked him if Jeremiah also needed to find a balance? Or Isaiah? Or any other of the the Old Testament prophets?
How
Oh, it is so very, very difficult! Even writing this out I know that some who read it are going to immediately jump to all sorts of conclusions about me, what I believe, my mental state, my emotional state. I remember the reactions the Prophets got! And although I do not even begin to place myself among their number, claim absolutely to have no "word from God" about all of this - I am not blind, I SEE what is going on, I UNDERSTAND what is going on - how do I remain silent?
Mel asks me - if all of this is true, then - what is God telling me to do about it?
And therein lies my frustration. I do not know. I am not a prophet - I only see the obvious. I am not a preacher - although I am sure that I am a teacher. I do know that I have prayed more in the last year for my family and friends than I have ever prayed in my life. It is possible that God has allowed me to 'see' so that I do pray more.
So, a simple little YouTube video, innocuous in and of itself, is just one more nail in the coffin, one more little proof of what I see we are headed for.
My prayer is that God will keep my family faithful. I pray that my sons and daughter will repent from willing sins. I pray that they will eagerly look forward to Christ's return. I pray for my parents, as they are in their last years of life, that they will not fear death, but will live for Christ completely and stand firm to the end. I pray for my grandson, that God will remove his heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh that loves God, worships God and seeks to live for and serve God during these final years of earths' existence. I pray for my sisters and my brother. So many prayers, so many petitions to God, with the over riding plea - "Please, God, keep my family and my Christians friends faithful during these times! Do not let them fall away, help them to stand firm to the end. And those who do not yet believe on your Son, Jesus Christ - oh Father, open their eyes to see the Truth! Draw them, regenerate them, hold them firmly in the palm of your hand - soon, Father, quickly! The time is oh, so very short!"
Friday, July 03, 2009
Baby, It's Hot Outside
Baby, it's HOT outside - which is a take-off on the song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside". But it is - it is hot out there. That is why I am IN here. :) With a fan blowing on me. With the a/c working in the livingroom. And still it is 83 degrees in this room by the desk. Whew! I need to drink some more water.
Yesterday on spaceweather.com there was an interesting photo. ART OR SCIENCE? Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, have created an unprecedented 3D supercomputer model of a sunspot. The result is not only scientifically informative, but also a thing of beauty:
To create the virtual sunspot, researchers programmed NCAR's IBM bluefire supercomputer with the laws of magnetohydrodynamics, sprinkled in some ground-based observations of actual sunspots, and hit "go." The bluefire is capable of 76 trillion calculations per second; even so, the program took weeks to complete. The final model contains 1.8 billion points and covers a 3D domain 31,000 miles by 62,000 miles wide and 3,700 miles deep.
Physcists are now studying movies of the virtual sunspot to develop new insights into the dynamic behavior of these planet-sized behemoths. More than one onlooker has gasped in amazement when shown the surprisely lovely subsurface structure of the 'spot.
Is it art or science? You decide.
Well, I don't know if that is art of science, but I do think it's pretty. I also think it causes me to think more about the sun and what is going on up there, way out in space, and how it effects my simple little life here on earth.
All that roiling and boiling, exploding and rotating. All the rays of different sorts that are being thrown out into space: gamma rays, x-rays, ultra-violet rays and a bunch more that I know nothing about. Magnetic fields, radiation, hydrogen gasses, currents and 'jet streams'. Oh my!
The more I read about our Sun, the more I realize that we take it too much for granted. It's up there in the sky every day. When I'm too hot I complain about it's heat. When it's cloudy too long I complain about it being missing. I long for it's light, but stand outside in the shade whenever possible.
The sun is there every day, day after day after day for millennium. Without it we could not live. Yet I rarely think about it in a positive way. Shame on me! The sun is one of God's good gifts to us!
I need to start thanking Him for it's light, it's heat, it's effect on our seasons - not complaining all the time about being too hot, or too dark, or whatever.
Recently we have been in a deep Solar Minimum - a time when there have been very few sunspots. Sunspots? you ask - what's that? Spots on the sun! heh heh. If you are interested in what they are, what they do and why scientists keep track of them, I encourage you too look them up on the internet. Sunspots are very important, if for no other reason than they are what help the earth have Northern Lights. Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis up in Alaska, well, they are one of the natural wonders of this earth that I love the very most, am very fascinated with them, could stand out in the frigid cold and watch them for hours. Without sunspots - no aurora. Therefore, bring on the sunspots! Away with this Solar Minimum! But all in God's good time - there is a season for everything under the sun!!
Photo yesterday of sun without sunspots:
Photo a few days ago of an unusual line of sunspots:
Can you see them, way down there in the far left 'corner' of the sun but in the center of the photo? Those things are HUGE. You could fit many earths into each one, but they look so tiny on the face of the sun.
And today, on Astronomy Photo of the Day is this photo:
Now seriously, could you tell that the sun is smaller and farther away today than it was two weeks ago? :) ;)
And one last thing to click on, if you are so inclined. A way cool YouTube video of a solar explosion. Wow! Just think - I used to believe it was just a big yellow ball of fire up in the sky, like a big beach ball all smooth and passive and unchanging. Now I know different! (updated - there is another video after this one - scroll down. Both are short ones.)
Why does the Sun flare? Unpredictably, our Sun unleashes tremendous flares expelling hot gas into the Solar System that can affect satellites, astronauts, and power grids on Earth. This close up of an active region on the Sun that produced a powerful X-class flare was captured by the orbiting TRACE satellite. Clicking on the image should bring up a movie that shows the evolution of Active Region 9906 over about four hours. The glowing gas flowing around the relatively stable magnetic field loops above the Sun's photosphere has a temperature of over ten million degrees Celsius. These flows occurred after violently unstable magnetic reconnection events above the Sun produced the flare. Many things about solar active regions are not well understood including the presence of dark regions that appear to move inward during the movie.
Ok - two last things. I just found this YouTube video from National Geographic. It's only 4 minutes long and more explanitory.
Yesterday on spaceweather.com there was an interesting photo. ART OR SCIENCE? Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, have created an unprecedented 3D supercomputer model of a sunspot. The result is not only scientifically informative, but also a thing of beauty:
To create the virtual sunspot, researchers programmed NCAR's IBM bluefire supercomputer with the laws of magnetohydrodynamics, sprinkled in some ground-based observations of actual sunspots, and hit "go." The bluefire is capable of 76 trillion calculations per second; even so, the program took weeks to complete. The final model contains 1.8 billion points and covers a 3D domain 31,000 miles by 62,000 miles wide and 3,700 miles deep.Physcists are now studying movies of the virtual sunspot to develop new insights into the dynamic behavior of these planet-sized behemoths. More than one onlooker has gasped in amazement when shown the surprisely lovely subsurface structure of the 'spot.
Is it art or science? You decide.
Well, I don't know if that is art of science, but I do think it's pretty. I also think it causes me to think more about the sun and what is going on up there, way out in space, and how it effects my simple little life here on earth.
All that roiling and boiling, exploding and rotating. All the rays of different sorts that are being thrown out into space: gamma rays, x-rays, ultra-violet rays and a bunch more that I know nothing about. Magnetic fields, radiation, hydrogen gasses, currents and 'jet streams'. Oh my!
The more I read about our Sun, the more I realize that we take it too much for granted. It's up there in the sky every day. When I'm too hot I complain about it's heat. When it's cloudy too long I complain about it being missing. I long for it's light, but stand outside in the shade whenever possible.
The sun is there every day, day after day after day for millennium. Without it we could not live. Yet I rarely think about it in a positive way. Shame on me! The sun is one of God's good gifts to us!
I need to start thanking Him for it's light, it's heat, it's effect on our seasons - not complaining all the time about being too hot, or too dark, or whatever.
Recently we have been in a deep Solar Minimum - a time when there have been very few sunspots. Sunspots? you ask - what's that? Spots on the sun! heh heh. If you are interested in what they are, what they do and why scientists keep track of them, I encourage you too look them up on the internet. Sunspots are very important, if for no other reason than they are what help the earth have Northern Lights. Northern Lights, the Aurora Borealis up in Alaska, well, they are one of the natural wonders of this earth that I love the very most, am very fascinated with them, could stand out in the frigid cold and watch them for hours. Without sunspots - no aurora. Therefore, bring on the sunspots! Away with this Solar Minimum! But all in God's good time - there is a season for everything under the sun!!
Photo yesterday of sun without sunspots:
Photo a few days ago of an unusual line of sunspots:
Can you see them, way down there in the far left 'corner' of the sun but in the center of the photo? Those things are HUGE. You could fit many earths into each one, but they look so tiny on the face of the sun.And today, on Astronomy Photo of the Day is this photo:
Now seriously, could you tell that the sun is smaller and farther away today than it was two weeks ago? :) ;)And one last thing to click on, if you are so inclined. A way cool YouTube video of a solar explosion. Wow! Just think - I used to believe it was just a big yellow ball of fire up in the sky, like a big beach ball all smooth and passive and unchanging. Now I know different! (updated - there is another video after this one - scroll down. Both are short ones.)
Why does the Sun flare? Unpredictably, our Sun unleashes tremendous flares expelling hot gas into the Solar System that can affect satellites, astronauts, and power grids on Earth. This close up of an active region on the Sun that produced a powerful X-class flare was captured by the orbiting TRACE satellite. Clicking on the image should bring up a movie that shows the evolution of Active Region 9906 over about four hours. The glowing gas flowing around the relatively stable magnetic field loops above the Sun's photosphere has a temperature of over ten million degrees Celsius. These flows occurred after violently unstable magnetic reconnection events above the Sun produced the flare. Many things about solar active regions are not well understood including the presence of dark regions that appear to move inward during the movie.
Ok - two last things. I just found this YouTube video from National Geographic. It's only 4 minutes long and more explanitory.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"Nancy Today"
My friend in South Dakota, SDSue (hi Sue!), recently posted a link on her blog to a new-to-me YouTube 'series', Nancy Today. From what Sue wrote, I decided to check it out right away.
I have not laughed that hard in a very long time.
First I watched her series on making bread, then I watched most of her series on making Christmas Stollen. I didn't get to finish that because it was well past time for bed. If you are a perfectionist, she will probably drive you crazy.
Take a look and see what you think. I'm looking forward to watching more, not just cooking, but all sorts of things out of her life. note - Nancy is Mormon and occasionally mentions that, or things that pertain to Mormonism, but so far it has not been trying to proselytize, just talking about it as a normal part of her life.
I have not laughed that hard in a very long time.
First I watched her series on making bread, then I watched most of her series on making Christmas Stollen. I didn't get to finish that because it was well past time for bed. If you are a perfectionist, she will probably drive you crazy.
Take a look and see what you think. I'm looking forward to watching more, not just cooking, but all sorts of things out of her life. note - Nancy is Mormon and occasionally mentions that, or things that pertain to Mormonism, but so far it has not been trying to proselytize, just talking about it as a normal part of her life.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
I'll Blame Sue
When I become permanently molded to my office chair I'll blame Sue. Yes, I'll blame her. She knows my weaknesses and yet she still sent me a web address that she knew I would become addicted to immediately.
Sigh.
ha ha ha Oh dear. Here is the web address: Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestCams Barn Owl, Italy, Texas.
By the way, what is it with Texas - Paris, Italy, Odessa - those are 3 European towns I know right off - are there more in Texas? Ok, ok - Italy is not a town, but I didn't sleep well last night and I included it in there anyway because I just didn't want to write a whole 'nother part of a sentence saying something like "2 cities and 1 country that just had a big earthquake".
Anyway, I now have a pop-up view of mama barn owl on my desktop and through the wonder of the internet I can watch her scratch, stretch, stand, flap her wings, nestle back down on her eggs and clean her toes. It's quite interesting.
On to another subject entirely, although it does relate to the part where I didn't sleep well - YouTube.
Mel is not here for two nights, gone to presbytery meetings. I was watching stuff on YouTube last night (stuff on the Aztecs and giants and things off BBC and The History Channel - stuff we cannot see here so I'm glad it's on YouTube or I'd never see it). I yawned and wondered why in the world I was suddenly so tired. I looked at the clock on the computer and it was 2:00 in the morning! ei yi yi!
So, I shut everything down and went to bed. Within 30 seconds of the lights going out, I was being buzzed by a mosquito. I'd tried to kill one earlier in the evening but could never get it. It bit me on the arm, I have no idea when (maybe during one of the reenactments of Aztec human sacrifice?). I covered up as much as I could and then realized the nasty little thing was biting me through the sheets!
Finally, I sat up, turned on the light, put in my contacts, looked at the clock and it was 3:00 in the morning and I still had not been to sleep. I couldn't hear or see Mosquito anywhere, so I lay down and looked up at the ceiling - nope, not there. I glanced at the wall above and behind my head - and voila! A little black spot on the white paint, just above the headboard. I sat up, drew back my hand and whapped that little critter with my palm. Blood all over the place - on the wall and on my hand. sigh. I'll clean it up in a little bit.
Happy now, I lay back down, pulled up the covers and within 30 seconds there was another mosquito whining in my ear. Literally. I slapped my forehead when I felt it go by and then - nothing. I think I got it. No more sound.
Just as I was dropping off to sleep, zing! Whining in my ear again and across my forehead. I smacked myself on the nose - and felt that little sucker die, right there. When I looked at the clock beside the bed, it was almost 4:00.
I slept till 7:10. Got up for several minutes, went back to bed and slept until 8:45. It is going to be a long day.....
But! Now I can watch Mrs. Barn Owl and keep myself awake today!
Sigh.
ha ha ha Oh dear. Here is the web address: Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestCams Barn Owl, Italy, Texas.
By the way, what is it with Texas - Paris, Italy, Odessa - those are 3 European towns I know right off - are there more in Texas? Ok, ok - Italy is not a town, but I didn't sleep well last night and I included it in there anyway because I just didn't want to write a whole 'nother part of a sentence saying something like "2 cities and 1 country that just had a big earthquake".
Anyway, I now have a pop-up view of mama barn owl on my desktop and through the wonder of the internet I can watch her scratch, stretch, stand, flap her wings, nestle back down on her eggs and clean her toes. It's quite interesting.
On to another subject entirely, although it does relate to the part where I didn't sleep well - YouTube.
Mel is not here for two nights, gone to presbytery meetings. I was watching stuff on YouTube last night (stuff on the Aztecs and giants and things off BBC and The History Channel - stuff we cannot see here so I'm glad it's on YouTube or I'd never see it). I yawned and wondered why in the world I was suddenly so tired. I looked at the clock on the computer and it was 2:00 in the morning! ei yi yi!
So, I shut everything down and went to bed. Within 30 seconds of the lights going out, I was being buzzed by a mosquito. I'd tried to kill one earlier in the evening but could never get it. It bit me on the arm, I have no idea when (maybe during one of the reenactments of Aztec human sacrifice?). I covered up as much as I could and then realized the nasty little thing was biting me through the sheets!
Finally, I sat up, turned on the light, put in my contacts, looked at the clock and it was 3:00 in the morning and I still had not been to sleep. I couldn't hear or see Mosquito anywhere, so I lay down and looked up at the ceiling - nope, not there. I glanced at the wall above and behind my head - and voila! A little black spot on the white paint, just above the headboard. I sat up, drew back my hand and whapped that little critter with my palm. Blood all over the place - on the wall and on my hand. sigh. I'll clean it up in a little bit.
Happy now, I lay back down, pulled up the covers and within 30 seconds there was another mosquito whining in my ear. Literally. I slapped my forehead when I felt it go by and then - nothing. I think I got it. No more sound.
Just as I was dropping off to sleep, zing! Whining in my ear again and across my forehead. I smacked myself on the nose - and felt that little sucker die, right there. When I looked at the clock beside the bed, it was almost 4:00.
I slept till 7:10. Got up for several minutes, went back to bed and slept until 8:45. It is going to be a long day.....
But! Now I can watch Mrs. Barn Owl and keep myself awake today!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Hubble
The Hubble Deep Field: The Most Important Image Ever Taken
(The philosophical views expressed in the above video do not necessarily reflect the views of the author of this blog :) - but the photos are cool! And so is the immenseness of the universe!)
(The philosophical views expressed in the above video do not necessarily reflect the views of the author of this blog :) - but the photos are cool! And so is the immenseness of the universe!)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Night Sky
Today is my birthday. 55 years old. If I could have any wish I wanted, I would wish and receive a week of clear night skies in an area with no light pollution.
Yes, it is that simple. I really don't want (or need) anything else for my birthday. But oh how I would love to see the night sky again.
I've written about this before (Stars is one place), as regular readers of my blog know. I love the night sky. I thrill to the night sky. I am energized by the night sky. I am filled with more praise to our God and Father while viewing the night sky than at any other time.
I miss the night sky very, very much. I miss it more than I miss sunshine in winter here in Ukraine (maybe because this year we've had so much sunshine - yea!)
Today on Astronomy.com there was a short article about light pollution and how people all over the world are helping to measure how much light pollution is in their area this week. This is the graphic they used from last years reports:
I know that each time we go home to Colorado, less of the night sky can be seen from my parents due to the light pollution from the Denver metro area especially, but also from nearby Colorado Springs. The sky to the north is a perpetual orangish color at night now. Black spruce, Ponderosa pine and bare aspen trees are clearly silhouetted against that orange and it is hard to see the dimmer stars directly overhead.
So sad. Such a major loss to mankind and most people don't even know it. Maybe if people would spend more time looking up at the sky and around themselves on the earth there would be less crime. Maybe. sigh
So, this is kind of what the sky looks like here at night, almost this bad, but not quite:
And this is what it looked like in my childhood in Colorado, and still does look like away from light pollution:
If you are interested in being a part of this years GLOBE at Night project, check out this page: GLOBE at Night.
When I think about the stars, and night time, and the aurora and natural beauty that is being lost due to man's rape of the earth - when I think of these things, oh how I long even more for heaven and the new earth.
This song has absolutely nothing to do with being in heaven (although it does mention "living forever with me"), but it's kind of how I'm feeling today:Wilderness
(C.W. McCall, Bill Fries, Chip Davis)
From the album Wilderness
Come along and sing
A song you knew before
Come along and sing
Once more
Come along and live
A life you knew before
Come along and live
Once more
Wake with me and feel the misty blue dawn
Come hear the wild bird sing her mornin' song
See the sun that only wilderness sees
Then walk with me and let your heart run free
Come on along and chase the wind once more
Come on along and try one more time
Come on along and find the trail once more
Come on along and live again
Come with me and see the ridge run wild
Come hear the canyon call her wanderin' child
Breathe the air that only wilderness breathes
Then walk with me and let your heart run free
[Musical interlude. Slow banjo pickin' and violins.]
Come on along and climb the mountain once more
Come on along and try one more time
Come on along and cross the river with me
Come on along and live again
Come with me and hear the night bird cry
And see the starlight fill the wonderous sky
Feel the joy that only wilderness feels
Come on along along and we'll be free
Fly with me and find the end of time
Run with me and feel the wilderness high
Come on along and live forever with me
Come on along along and we'll be free
C.W. McCall Wilderness lyrics
Yes, it is that simple. I really don't want (or need) anything else for my birthday. But oh how I would love to see the night sky again.
I've written about this before (Stars is one place), as regular readers of my blog know. I love the night sky. I thrill to the night sky. I am energized by the night sky. I am filled with more praise to our God and Father while viewing the night sky than at any other time.
I miss the night sky very, very much. I miss it more than I miss sunshine in winter here in Ukraine (maybe because this year we've had so much sunshine - yea!)
Today on Astronomy.com there was a short article about light pollution and how people all over the world are helping to measure how much light pollution is in their area this week. This is the graphic they used from last years reports:
I know that each time we go home to Colorado, less of the night sky can be seen from my parents due to the light pollution from the Denver metro area especially, but also from nearby Colorado Springs. The sky to the north is a perpetual orangish color at night now. Black spruce, Ponderosa pine and bare aspen trees are clearly silhouetted against that orange and it is hard to see the dimmer stars directly overhead.So sad. Such a major loss to mankind and most people don't even know it. Maybe if people would spend more time looking up at the sky and around themselves on the earth there would be less crime. Maybe. sigh
So, this is kind of what the sky looks like here at night, almost this bad, but not quite:
And this is what it looked like in my childhood in Colorado, and still does look like away from light pollution:
If you are interested in being a part of this years GLOBE at Night project, check out this page: GLOBE at Night.
When I think about the stars, and night time, and the aurora and natural beauty that is being lost due to man's rape of the earth - when I think of these things, oh how I long even more for heaven and the new earth.
This song has absolutely nothing to do with being in heaven (although it does mention "living forever with me"), but it's kind of how I'm feeling today:
(C.W. McCall, Bill Fries, Chip Davis)
From the album Wilderness
Come along and sing
A song you knew before
Come along and sing
Once more
Come along and live
A life you knew before
Come along and live
Once more
Wake with me and feel the misty blue dawn
Come hear the wild bird sing her mornin' song
See the sun that only wilderness sees
Then walk with me and let your heart run free
Come on along and chase the wind once more
Come on along and try one more time
Come on along and find the trail once more
Come on along and live again
Come with me and see the ridge run wild
Come hear the canyon call her wanderin' child
Breathe the air that only wilderness breathes
Then walk with me and let your heart run free
[Musical interlude. Slow banjo pickin' and violins.]
Come on along and climb the mountain once more
Come on along and try one more time
Come on along and cross the river with me
Come on along and live again
Come with me and hear the night bird cry
And see the starlight fill the wonderous sky
Feel the joy that only wilderness feels
Come on along along and we'll be free
Fly with me and find the end of time
Run with me and feel the wilderness high
Come on along and live forever with me
Come on along along and we'll be free
C.W. McCall Wilderness lyrics
Monday, March 09, 2009
Rocks
I have always collected little stones. Not just in my shoes as I walk here and there :), but I actually look for beautiful stones. This is not an easy thing to do here in Kherson. There is a lot of dirt and dust and sand and muck, but not very many stones.
Now, I come from a part of the world where there are a lot of stones. And not only stones, but rocks. I mean, really big rocks. Really, really big rocks. The Rocky Mountain kind of big rocks. This rock is located just a few miles from my parents home and there are many more like it in the surrounding area.
BIG rocks. :)
I'm not sure when my rock collecting started. I can remember in my childhood receiving from someone a sheet of cardboard with little stones glued to it. Each stone was labeled as to what it was and possibly (I don't remember this exactly) where it came from. Some of those stones were beautiful. At least one looked like a nice chunk of caramel candy. Others just looked like the rocks we had out in the driveway, ho hum. I can remember actually licking that caramel colored stone - it was all smooth and shiny and looked really good - was it a stone or was it candy just pretending to be a stone? Ah, childhood - when life was simple. heh heh
The next real memory of my collecting stones comes from Alaska. I remember walking along a glacial river, a tributary to the mighty Copper River near Copper Center. I was with Mel and he was showing me 'his' Alaska. I was intrigued by the stones and rocks along the river bank. Many of them were a dark gray with brilliant white stripes running through them. I collected a handful of small stones, ones more unusual than the others due to the angles or widths of the stripes, and even a couple of pure white stones. I have no idea whatever happened to them. Maybe some day an geologist will excavate an area and wonder how those particular stones from the Copper River Basin in Alaska ended up in Fairbanks or possibly even in Colorado.
When we lived in the Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado we explored the area at every opportunity. One of the things I really enjoyed was collecting stones and rocks from different places. Green stones, maroon rocks, stripped rocks, yellow stones, and best of all, some pale tan and rust striped rocks. I ended up with a quart sized jar of different stones, all smaller than an inch in diameter, but beautiful in a variety of color, texture and pattern. The tan and rust striped rocks were/are amazing. The stripes were in circles and curly cues and waves. No two rocks were alike. I wanted a whole collection of them. Imagine the following photo as a rock you can actually pick up:
Poor Mel got tired of finding rocks in the back of our van after I'd go out for a walk. I used them as borders for my flower gardens and even took some of them up to my parents place. My mother still uses them as borders around her flower gardens. When we left that place, I dug the most beautiful ones out of the garden border and they are in storage right now as I write this.
One of the beautiful things God has given us that we so often take for granted. How often do we look at the ground around us and see the diversity, the beauty, the gift God has given us? All too seldom, I fear.
I have a small collection of stones here in Ukraine, picked up along the river or out in a village we visited once. There are also stones from Spain, California and one may be from Oregon. Unfortunately, I love the way they look, but I forget exactly where they come from. Mixed in with those stones in the little display are seashells from the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Pacific Ocean, and several small pieces of driftwood from the Pacific.
Several times Ukrainians have asked me why I have all those stones, shells and weird pieces of wood on that shelf. I say, "They each remind me of some place I have been." But there is more to it than that. They are beautiful. And I like them.
This morning, while checking out the articles on geology.com, I came across this video clip:Balancing Rocks by Bill Dan
There is more information about this guy, and others who do this, on Rock On, Rock ON!
Last night at our team prayer time, Mel gave a short devotional on what it means to 'enjoy God', mentioning Eric Liddell's famous quote: "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." We talked about what we do where we also feel God's pleasure. I showed this YouTube video to Mel and his first response was, "I hope he feels God's pleasure when he does this." I hope so. It is an amazing talent, what this man can do, a combination of God given eye-hand coordination and patience. As I watched him, I thought about how his eyes saw the stone and his hand held the stone and his arms felt the weight of the rock resting against his muscles - until suddenly, that weight was gone - resting instead totally on the stone beneath.
I like rocks. I'm glad God made rocks. I feel His pleasure when I enjoy His creation.
Now, I come from a part of the world where there are a lot of stones. And not only stones, but rocks. I mean, really big rocks. Really, really big rocks. The Rocky Mountain kind of big rocks. This rock is located just a few miles from my parents home and there are many more like it in the surrounding area.
I'm not sure when my rock collecting started. I can remember in my childhood receiving from someone a sheet of cardboard with little stones glued to it. Each stone was labeled as to what it was and possibly (I don't remember this exactly) where it came from. Some of those stones were beautiful. At least one looked like a nice chunk of caramel candy. Others just looked like the rocks we had out in the driveway, ho hum. I can remember actually licking that caramel colored stone - it was all smooth and shiny and looked really good - was it a stone or was it candy just pretending to be a stone? Ah, childhood - when life was simple. heh heh
The next real memory of my collecting stones comes from Alaska. I remember walking along a glacial river, a tributary to the mighty Copper River near Copper Center. I was with Mel and he was showing me 'his' Alaska. I was intrigued by the stones and rocks along the river bank. Many of them were a dark gray with brilliant white stripes running through them. I collected a handful of small stones, ones more unusual than the others due to the angles or widths of the stripes, and even a couple of pure white stones. I have no idea whatever happened to them. Maybe some day an geologist will excavate an area and wonder how those particular stones from the Copper River Basin in Alaska ended up in Fairbanks or possibly even in Colorado.
When we lived in the Wet Mountain Valley of Colorado we explored the area at every opportunity. One of the things I really enjoyed was collecting stones and rocks from different places. Green stones, maroon rocks, stripped rocks, yellow stones, and best of all, some pale tan and rust striped rocks. I ended up with a quart sized jar of different stones, all smaller than an inch in diameter, but beautiful in a variety of color, texture and pattern. The tan and rust striped rocks were/are amazing. The stripes were in circles and curly cues and waves. No two rocks were alike. I wanted a whole collection of them. Imagine the following photo as a rock you can actually pick up:
Poor Mel got tired of finding rocks in the back of our van after I'd go out for a walk. I used them as borders for my flower gardens and even took some of them up to my parents place. My mother still uses them as borders around her flower gardens. When we left that place, I dug the most beautiful ones out of the garden border and they are in storage right now as I write this.One of the beautiful things God has given us that we so often take for granted. How often do we look at the ground around us and see the diversity, the beauty, the gift God has given us? All too seldom, I fear.
I have a small collection of stones here in Ukraine, picked up along the river or out in a village we visited once. There are also stones from Spain, California and one may be from Oregon. Unfortunately, I love the way they look, but I forget exactly where they come from. Mixed in with those stones in the little display are seashells from the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Pacific Ocean, and several small pieces of driftwood from the Pacific.
Several times Ukrainians have asked me why I have all those stones, shells and weird pieces of wood on that shelf. I say, "They each remind me of some place I have been." But there is more to it than that. They are beautiful. And I like them.
This morning, while checking out the articles on geology.com, I came across this video clip:Balancing Rocks by Bill Dan
There is more information about this guy, and others who do this, on Rock On, Rock ON!
Last night at our team prayer time, Mel gave a short devotional on what it means to 'enjoy God', mentioning Eric Liddell's famous quote: "God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure." We talked about what we do where we also feel God's pleasure. I showed this YouTube video to Mel and his first response was, "I hope he feels God's pleasure when he does this." I hope so. It is an amazing talent, what this man can do, a combination of God given eye-hand coordination and patience. As I watched him, I thought about how his eyes saw the stone and his hand held the stone and his arms felt the weight of the rock resting against his muscles - until suddenly, that weight was gone - resting instead totally on the stone beneath.
I like rocks. I'm glad God made rocks. I feel His pleasure when I enjoy His creation.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
We've Moved!
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No, not us! This firm, Rain Drops, has moved! Their new address is Naftovikiv 7. I have no idea where that is. :) Their two telephone numbers follow the address on the billboard.
I think this is a very clever ad. The painting, The Volga Boat Men, is very famous. There is also a Russian folk song about the Volga boat men. You can hear it next, and the words in English and Russian are at the end of this post.
from Wikipedia:The Song of the Volga Boatmen is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev, and published in his book of folk songs. It is a genuine barge-haulers' shanty. Balakirev published it with only one verse (the first). The other two verses were added at a later date. The song, also called The Volga Burlak's Song, was inspired by Repin's famous painting, Burlaks on the Volga, depicting the suffering of the people in the depth of misery in Tsarist Russia.
The song was popularised by Feodor Chaliapin, and has been a favourite concert piece of bass singers ever since.
(Traditional)
Refrain
Yo, heave ho! Yo, heave ho!
Once more, once again, still once more
Verse 1
Now we fell the stout birch tree,
Now we pull hard: one, two, three.
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Now we fell the stout birch tree
Yo, heave ho!
Hey, hey, let's heave a-long the way
to the sun we sing our song
Verse 2
As the barges float along,
To the sun we sing our song.
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
To the sun we sing our song.
Hey, hey, let's heave a-long the way
to the sun we sing our song
Verse 3
Volga, Volga our pride,
Mighty stream so deep and wide.
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Ay-da, da, ay-da!
Mighty stream so deep and wide.
Volga, Volga you're our pride.
Lyrics in Russian
Эй, ухнем!
Эй, ухнем!
Ещё разик, ещё да раз!
Разовьём мы берёзу,
Разовьём мы кудряву!
Ай-да, да ай-да, ай-да, да ай-да,
Разовьём мы кудряву.
Мы по бережку идём,
Песню солнышку поём.
Ай-да, да ай-да, ай-да, да ай-да,
Песню солнышку поём.
Эй, эй, тяни канат сильней!
Песню солнышку поём.
Эй, ухнем!
Эй, ухнем!
Ещё разик, ещё да раз!
Эх ты, Волга, мать-река,
Широка и глубока,
Ай-да, да ай-да, ай-да, да ай-да,
Волга, Волга, мать-река,
Эй, ухнем!
Эй, ухнем!
Ещё разик, ещё да раз!
Эй, ухнем!
Эй, ухнем!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday - A Reply to My Oldest Son
February 23, 2009: 1:35 pm: CalvinDude Music, Satire
Monday &*!@# Monday!
The conspiracy is real.
I don’t know how they found me, but they did. And now I must flee.
See, this morning I woke up with a Moody Blues song stuck in my head. Specifically, this one. It’s bad enough starting a Monday on THAT note…
But then I went to lunch at Subway, and they were playing a song on the radio. No, not “Never Comes the Day.” It was John Stinking Denver singing “Rocky Mountain High.”
The only way this Monday could get more depressing is if “THEY” weren’t actually after me. I blame Bush.
Well, Peter, it's nice to know that some of what I exposed you to when you were a little kid has actually had an effect on your life as an adult. Strange, though, that we had no music by either The Moody Blues or John Denver while you were growing up, but instead your Dad played lots of classical stuff and of course, the Christian stuff. What was it? By osmosis in the womb, I passed on my enjoyment of these two? Somehow your love of Metallica and 'ska' was not passed back the other way. Whew!
ROTFL
Mom
PS You need this today, to wipe away the 'Blues' and that fresh mountain air.
Monday &*!@# Monday!
The conspiracy is real.
I don’t know how they found me, but they did. And now I must flee.
See, this morning I woke up with a Moody Blues song stuck in my head. Specifically, this one. It’s bad enough starting a Monday on THAT note…
But then I went to lunch at Subway, and they were playing a song on the radio. No, not “Never Comes the Day.” It was John Stinking Denver singing “Rocky Mountain High.”
The only way this Monday could get more depressing is if “THEY” weren’t actually after me. I blame Bush.
Well, Peter, it's nice to know that some of what I exposed you to when you were a little kid has actually had an effect on your life as an adult. Strange, though, that we had no music by either The Moody Blues or John Denver while you were growing up, but instead your Dad played lots of classical stuff and of course, the Christian stuff. What was it? By osmosis in the womb, I passed on my enjoyment of these two? Somehow your love of Metallica and 'ska' was not passed back the other way. Whew!
ROTFL
Mom
PS You need this today, to wipe away the 'Blues' and that fresh mountain air.
Monday, January 19, 2009
"Love Is All Around Me"
Yesterday afternoon, after church and Sunday School were over, Mel, Melinda and I went out for dinner. We used to do this almost every Saturday evening after the Ladies Bible Study, Kids English Class and Advanced English Class, but the habit has dropped by the side recently. No one wanted to go home and prepare a meal at the end of a long afternoon. We had wanted to go the night before, but all of us were just too wiped out. (Mel and I came upstairs and ate popcorn with shredded cheese on it instead.)
We went to our old standby, a nice restaurant in the city center. We've been going there for years. The food is really good, not way expensive (although with the current economic crisis the prices are rising), and has a very nice, relaxing area upstairs with no smoking. Late in the afternoon we were the only people there for over an hour. Well, there were people downstairs, but we were the only ones upstairs. And it was really nice. We talked and talked, laughed and were serious.
The manager did something just for us, I think. He/she put on American music from our generation. That kind of music is making a come back here for some reason anyway, but they don't usually play only English words music and they did last night.
I just kind of listened to it in the background, not even really paying any attention to it. I am not a big music lover and although I may kind of remember a song, it is rare that I know all of the words. And that is the way it was last night - until this came on, Love Is All Around Me, by The Troggs. I haven't heard this song in years!
The first chords began playing and wham! I was back in my teens and wildly in love with someone. Can you believe it? I didn't remember exactly who I was wildly in love with when I used to listen to this song. :) :) I had to look it up and when I saw the dates, I knew. and "Love Is All Around" (UK number 5 in October 1967 and US number 7 in May 1968). I was what? thirteen, fourteen years old? Oh, I know now exactly who I was in love with. Ha ha! No wonder I know the song by heart! At fourteen, crushes and 'being in love' are very serious for a girl.
I remember we had an old radio, or maybe it was just part of an old radio. It was on the shelf in my closet. It had knobs for moving the tuner and when I turned it on, I had to wait until the tubes warmed up before it would give forth sound.
Now I didn't just 'listen to the radio.' No, after everyone was in bed and the lights were turned out, I would go into the closet and turn it on with the sound very, very low and stand there and listen to the crackly sounds it made, the weird sounds from outer space it sometimes made as I searched for a good Rock station. I would turn the knob until one of my favorite stations came on - KSSN, Kissin' Radio was one - and listen to music from the '60's.
Why did I go into my closet to listen?
Well, my parents were very young, only in their late 30's and early 40's in the 60's, but they were very conservative in their beliefs and standards and Rock Music was the devil's music and I was only allowed to listen to certain bands. Herman's Hermits were about it for a long time and I even had all of their albums at one point (I wonder what happened to those albums?). Soooooo - I would listen to the radio when every one else was asleep and hear everything that was currently being played!
Never trust your teenagers. They do all sorts of things you know nothing about. I understood that with my own kids before they ever reached the age of birth :) :) :). I could only guide and council and discipline, but they were going to do a lot of stuff that I would never know about. You can't control any one's whole life, no matter that you are their parent and they are your child. I learned that very young. :)
So, I would stand there, crowded in with my dresses and shirts hanging around me, in the dark with the only light from the face of the radio, ear pressed up against the speaker and listen to evil Rock Music. It never lasted for a long time because by the time everyone in the house was in bed, it was late and I was really tired.
But this song is one I loved to listen to and somehow over the course of a few months, I actually memorized the whole thing.
It's amazing how music can actually re-awaken the feelings of angst, loneliness, unrequited love from the teenage years. I wonder what ever happened to the guy I was so crazy about (actually he and I almost got married when I was 18 and I am so glad we did not because last I heard of him 14 years ago, he'd been married 4 times already and who knows how many times since then!).
As I sit here writing this I begin to wonder - is the resurfacing of 'old memories' a sign that I am aging? You know - they always say that as you get older it's harder to remember what happened yesterday and easier to remember what happened in your youth!
Oh my.
there are other versions of this song on YouTube, including some with film footage of The Troggs singing it, but I like this one because I used to have a few 45's like this. Even the record player brings back memories!
We went to our old standby, a nice restaurant in the city center. We've been going there for years. The food is really good, not way expensive (although with the current economic crisis the prices are rising), and has a very nice, relaxing area upstairs with no smoking. Late in the afternoon we were the only people there for over an hour. Well, there were people downstairs, but we were the only ones upstairs. And it was really nice. We talked and talked, laughed and were serious.
The manager did something just for us, I think. He/she put on American music from our generation. That kind of music is making a come back here for some reason anyway, but they don't usually play only English words music and they did last night.
I just kind of listened to it in the background, not even really paying any attention to it. I am not a big music lover and although I may kind of remember a song, it is rare that I know all of the words. And that is the way it was last night - until this came on, Love Is All Around Me, by The Troggs. I haven't heard this song in years!
The first chords began playing and wham! I was back in my teens and wildly in love with someone. Can you believe it? I didn't remember exactly who I was wildly in love with when I used to listen to this song. :) :) I had to look it up and when I saw the dates, I knew. and "Love Is All Around" (UK number 5 in October 1967 and US number 7 in May 1968). I was what? thirteen, fourteen years old? Oh, I know now exactly who I was in love with. Ha ha! No wonder I know the song by heart! At fourteen, crushes and 'being in love' are very serious for a girl.
I remember we had an old radio, or maybe it was just part of an old radio. It was on the shelf in my closet. It had knobs for moving the tuner and when I turned it on, I had to wait until the tubes warmed up before it would give forth sound.
Now I didn't just 'listen to the radio.' No, after everyone was in bed and the lights were turned out, I would go into the closet and turn it on with the sound very, very low and stand there and listen to the crackly sounds it made, the weird sounds from outer space it sometimes made as I searched for a good Rock station. I would turn the knob until one of my favorite stations came on - KSSN, Kissin' Radio was one - and listen to music from the '60's.
Why did I go into my closet to listen?
Well, my parents were very young, only in their late 30's and early 40's in the 60's, but they were very conservative in their beliefs and standards and Rock Music was the devil's music and I was only allowed to listen to certain bands. Herman's Hermits were about it for a long time and I even had all of their albums at one point (I wonder what happened to those albums?). Soooooo - I would listen to the radio when every one else was asleep and hear everything that was currently being played!
Never trust your teenagers. They do all sorts of things you know nothing about. I understood that with my own kids before they ever reached the age of birth :) :) :). I could only guide and council and discipline, but they were going to do a lot of stuff that I would never know about. You can't control any one's whole life, no matter that you are their parent and they are your child. I learned that very young. :)
So, I would stand there, crowded in with my dresses and shirts hanging around me, in the dark with the only light from the face of the radio, ear pressed up against the speaker and listen to evil Rock Music. It never lasted for a long time because by the time everyone in the house was in bed, it was late and I was really tired.
But this song is one I loved to listen to and somehow over the course of a few months, I actually memorized the whole thing.
It's amazing how music can actually re-awaken the feelings of angst, loneliness, unrequited love from the teenage years. I wonder what ever happened to the guy I was so crazy about (actually he and I almost got married when I was 18 and I am so glad we did not because last I heard of him 14 years ago, he'd been married 4 times already and who knows how many times since then!).
As I sit here writing this I begin to wonder - is the resurfacing of 'old memories' a sign that I am aging? You know - they always say that as you get older it's harder to remember what happened yesterday and easier to remember what happened in your youth!
Oh my.
there are other versions of this song on YouTube, including some with film footage of The Troggs singing it, but I like this one because I used to have a few 45's like this. Even the record player brings back memories!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I'm NOT Leaving' A Jet Plane, Just A Train
This song always comes to mind when we get ready to leave on a train here in Ukraine. I'm not sure why exactly - maybe just because it kind of rhymes with I'm Leavin' On A Big Train. :) :)
Mel and I are going to Kiev tonight and will be there for a few days. Now that we have PeopleNet internet we can take the computer with us and have internet connection as long as we are in Ukraine. I like it. But I don't have a strong battery in this computer, so I can't use it on the train, just when we get there.
I chose this rendition on YouTube because the one with John Denver actually singing it in a video had some comments that I didn't like. Comments about him - true or not, and I really don't want to know - comments that I don't care to share with anyone else. Sigh. The man is dead, he's gone to his just reward, what ever that may be (I'm afraid I know, but really only God knows). I love his music, though - always have, always will. Even if the only time I saw him in concert he made me mad (slammed Alaska - how dared he?!! harrumph. ).
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