I was listening to the radio the other day, and something that was in the discussion made me think of our family camping trips. I have very fond memories of the times we traveled, because our large family pretty well always camped wherever we went.

I remember going up to the campgrounds up past Frazier Park, up in the sequoia’s. I know I was still pretty young the time we had our lunch up on top of the big redwood stump. (Family of 11 holding a picnic on a tree stump should give an idea of the size of these amazing trees.) I remember silly little things like fishing using those marshmallow “circus peanuts” as bait, thinking it was amazing that fish would bite on those things, because I frequently ate as much of the bait as the fish did.

Then there are memories of the longer trips across the country for things like family reunions and such. Did we have a little box trailer for our camping gear on longer trips? I have some vague memory of a trailer, but I know it wasn’t a camping trailer, it seems like it was just a utility trailer.

Dad has an intriguing ability to pack enough gear, food, bedding, clothes, etc., for our family into some very small places. I have always marveled at his ability to utilize every small space and stack things in, in such a way that they were stable, and we always seemed to have enough to make the trip, without having to sit balanced on piles. Remember the trip to Connecticut for family reunion? I know, I was only 4, but it is one of my most vivid memories from childhood.

I remember the long ride with our cousins from Charles and Colleen’s family (14, kids and 2 adults in a ford station wagon from CA to Conn.). We camped every night. We sang songs and played games in the car to entertain ourselves. I love the stories of how other drivers often slowed down to count our car-full. I remember hot chocolate and scrambled eggs on some cold mornings, and bowls of cereal on other days. Some days we had campfires, others I think we cooked on a gas stove? I remember the pond at the big house we were visiting, and David stepping on a snake while running to use the little boat. I know on that trip I was no help, but I am sure I was awed by Dad’s ability and patience every morning and every night, as he unloaded all the food and gear, then placed it all carefully back in the next morning.

Over the years, I have learned so much from Dad and Mom about taking life’s simpler measures, which can also be life’s simple pleasures. I have not been camping with my own kids in far too long, because we don’t travel like we used to. I am going to fix that, since we have some beautiful campgrounds within an hour drive. Arkansas is really a beautiful state!

One thing that I learned from watching Dad pack is that planning makes the difference. We didn’t cart along many extras, but we always had sufficient gear and supplies to make the trip enjoyable. Dad and Mom planned food, snacks, cooking gear, etc., and they always managed to find places for them, or the plan was to buy certain things while traveling, so they didn’t require space. Clothing and bedding were planned based on the weather, with “minor” provisions for weather changes. We didn’t pack parka’s even though some of the mountains can get pretty cold. Bedding was appropriate for the expected conditions, with some extra blankets added, just in case. But we never froze!

Our camping gear was not fancy, but it was kept in good shape, and was always treated with care. I know we frequently had some minor fishing gear along, and some games and other pastime activities that didn’t require a lot of space. Maybe my memories are blended through years of camping with my “growing-up” family and my “I’m-the-Dad-family”, but we have been careful to teach our kids that they can enjoy the simple things in life.

Things like watching the sun rise over a beautiful mountain lake while baiting a hook, rather than sitting face down in a video game that is small enough to travel. Things like telling ghost stories around a campfire, rather than tuning the radio or TV. The humor of a pair of chipmunks (NOT Alvin and friends), real chipmunks chattering at each other as if they were going to duke it out, while racing around everything in sight. Enjoying a swim either in a lake or a campground’s pool. Followed by a warm campfire, s’mores, and star-gazing.

Even some of my Scout camp-outs in winter, learning how to build an igloo or a snow “cave”, and then actually sleeping in it. Dealing with the needs of sub-zero temperatures, and marveling at the divinity of a big bowl of hearty beef stew to chase off the cold. The gear needed was not hugely different, but if planned well, there was no need to carry in a big gas heater, or to eat different food, just more of some of the heartier stuff.

I think there are some lessons that everyone could learn from a lifetime of “roughing it”. .......to be continued

Thankful!

Thanksgiving! What a great time of year! I really have always enjoyed this Holiday! I was reading Kathy's blog about being thankful, and had some thoughts to add, and then I will probably just post more of the everyday, mundane stuff that rules our lives.

I remember growing up in Bakersfield, how many people there always seemed to be at our house for Thanksgiving. do you guys remember how many tables and chairs we had to borrow from the Institute of Religion at BC? Mom, I have learned too late in life to appreciate you properly for the amount of work and love that went into organizing those amazing events.

I may be off, but it always seemed to me like our family, plus at least 3-4 others, and they were close friends, sometimes even our own family, but mostly friends from church. One tradition I remember most is how we would go around the table, and each would say at least one thing for which they were thankful that year. These large gatherings impressed in me the importance of family and friends, and I am thankful for both. To my family, I love you, and miss you all the time. I am happy where we are, I love living in Arkansas, but I do wish we were closer so that we could all get together more often.

To friends, both here and wherever you may be at this time, we appreciate and love you. It is friends and family that make life truly joyful, and I am thankful to say that I have had many great friends, and have some really great friends now. Those large gatherings are something I look back on with fondness.

I have since experienced the smaller versions, with just our immediate, local family. We always (10 years and counting) eat with Bob and Phyllis. Usually, any of Bob's siblings that are here join us, but this year, it is down to Aunt Robbie, and she has "migrated" north for the winter. She got sick several weeks ago, and I think it kind of scared her, so she made arrangements with her oldest daughter to come stay in their basement apartment in Michigan, just across from the lake by that name.

We had two Moms that were sick on Thanksgiving day, and 2 deer to deal with, so we celebrated on Friday. Yes, Ian got his deer. Ben has struggled more, because he has had a harder time holding out. The cooler weather has kind of got his asthma flared up, if he spends a lot of time outside, and his IBD left-over issues make it very hard for him to sit completely still and quiet for very long. Even when he is quiet, his innards are not!

But Ian got a deer, and the same day Herman, or someone in his family called about taking another. So we spent Thursday skinning and dressing two deer. I am thankful that we have family and friends who like to hunt but not eat. We enjoy venison, and are grateful for the addition to our freezer.

I am thankful for a good job. I love teaching German at Conway High School. I have had great students, and I currently have great students! Not all of them are perfect, but they all add a lot to each day. I can say that no two days are alike, and no two years, either. I enjoy this enough, that even if money started falling from the sky, I think I would drift back to teaching shortly. I wish it paid better ( what teacher doesn't), but if money were no issue, I would probably take some time off to play with family, and then I would find myself teaching. I'm thankful I have a job that I enjoy.

I am thankful for Michelle, because she puts up with me, and is the love of my life.
For my kids, because they are amazing!
For my family, for your examples, prayers and love.
For church friends, and family that are helping to support Justin in his mission.
I am also thankful for:
beautiful sunrises, which I get to see nearly every morning
electricity, because I get home after dark
gas heat, because I know what it takes to stay warm without it
fireplaces, for when the power goes out, and wood is the only heat source
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
healthy chickens, because it is no fun dealing with sickly birds
a free country where I can voice my opinions without going to jail
tolerant people who allow me to worship God as I see fit, and only expect the same respect
a place like this where I can ramble, and some of you find entertainment in that:)

For my friends of all faiths, Have a great Holiday season. Don't forget to keep Christ in Christmas!

I am just sitting here drawing blanks. I came in with the intention of writing one of several thoughts, and lo and behold, I sit down and my mind goes blank.

Let's see.............. chickens all dead! Hooray!! Yeah! I know, don't be shocked. When the "universal mortality" is scheduled, it's a good thing! Last weekend was very busy, getting everything ready for the catch. I had several repairs that had to be done. A couple of cables had to be replaced on the feedline hoists, and Ian and I removed the garage style door on one of the houses, after a new rolling door had been put in. A couple of basic electric problems to fix. Some minor waterline issues to deal with, etc. Fairly standard, except that this is really the first time that these types of repairs were done completely without Bob's help.

Those would all have been a very "mild" saturday, except we spent Saturday morning butchering Bambi. Sorry, I shouldn't be so casual about it. I have never been particularly squeamish about where my food comes from. Dad, Mom, I think I should thank you for that. I don't take great pleasure in the process, but I am grateful that I have access, and knowledge to do the job.

Cousin Herman (related to Bob) loves to hunt, and really hates to eat game. He got a really nice 12 point buck, and called Bob and asked if they would like to have it. This was a really good looking deer. And he had been eating well. Fatter than we have seen in a long time. Bob offered to split with us, if we would help dress it. He is having more and more trouble with breathing, so some activities are just too much for him, and the dusty chicken houses are just flat out of the question right now.

So I got to help him skin, and butcher the big buck. I don't think I have ever seen such a huge neck roast on a whitetail, and we got two huge roasts. I am just guessing, but based on the hams, I would guess "Bambi" dressed out probably 70-90 lbs. I may be way low, or way high. I actually don't know what a big buck should weigh, but I have cooked some neck roasts in the last 10 years, and these were big by comparison.

Now if Ian and Ben can just get us a couple more. They have been very frustrated. The two times they went out on Saturday (youth hunt), we heard shots all around us, but the boys didn't see any of the deer that normally come around our place. Maybe this week.

I was going to write some thoughts on Monday about the anniversary of the Berlin Wall opening up, but we sold birds Tuesday a.m. and the prep is really a 24 hour process, so I really didn't have the time, assuming sleep was part of the plan. We have to work the feedlines empty starting 12-13 hours prior to catch, and get the feed completely away from the birds 8 hrs prior, so that they are completely empty when the trucks come. With 4 houses, this means every 2 hours, up until the catch begins. By the time catchers are gone, it will have been a 24 hr. process.

The catch started at 6 am, so I had to get feeders going at 6, which was almost exactly when I got home from school. Then, every 2 hours, some series of steps had to be done, so I ended up with a few hours of sleep between 2:30-5a.m. and the 2 hr. intervals to that point were broken up with short naps.

Anyway, birds gone, houses empty, now we get to start the process of preparing for the next flock. Bob still runs the tractor to clean out the litter, since he can run into the windtunnel created by the big fans. It pulls all the dust away from him, and the new tractor does not wear him out like the old one. (old... standard hard clutch. New.... hydrostatic transmission, much like yard and lawn tractors.) Then, I will go in with the kids (hopefully) and we will set water and feed lines, clean things, make minor repairs that crop up during the clean-out, and set trays and lines for the new flock.

This is the flock that requires a lot of prep. We try to tighten up the houses for the cold months, and that involves going through and tightening draw cables on the 100+ louvre covers, checking inlet curtains for holes and damage, tightening up fan shrouds, and setting double curtain materials in the oldest house. We may even be replacing a heating system, but Bob and I have not settled that one for sure.

I am sure none of this is terribly interesting to you, but I had some time to kill, and The video game to my right was not a "productive" kill. At least blogging serves a purpose to keep you all better informed about how we are doing, and sometimes allows me to express some creative thought.

Oh, and by the way, Justin must be doing either so well that he has no stand-out thoughts to send us, or he is struggling so hard that he can't find time or thoughts to fill beyond a 3 line e-mail. I love my son....I wish you could see the wry smile, as I type this. I know my son, and we will have to keep hounding him to get more info out of him. Maybe we will have to hold presents and goodies hostage. He can get packages filled with as much "loot" as he sends info. OOOOOHH! that was a great idea. I should write that down.........oh, I guess I just did! Nevermind!!!:)

Economics of socialism. Can we afford it?

I have to voice some concerns. I know the majority of you don't need this little rant, but sometimes I just have to vent. And it is possible that someone will read this who may need it. Whether we need it just to know that we are not alone, or to maybe try and see things from a different viewpoint.

The big political news is, of course, the pending vote on the huge nationalized health care bill. Several things about that whole thing scare me. One: Having read......no! Having attempted to read several pages of that monster, I wonder what scary things get dropped into our legal code every day. Have any of you tried to read these bills?? The legal gobbledygook is mind boggling. References to paragraphs and subheadings, and code this, and addendum that, run in sequence as though it were a sentence.

1900 PAGES worth!! What are they slipping past us, and themselves? Yes, taking control of a huge nation's health care system is no small task, but since those responsible are claiming it is not a takeover, just a clean-up, it seems like a huge pile of hard reading. Once again, I have not received comforting answers when asking my congressional reps if they have read the whole thing. They have not, and will not let constituents' opinions direct their congressional choices!! (what the ....what?!?) And they may vote as early as Friday?

Two: I do not trust those responsible, when they claim that the "government option" is simply to add an affordable alternative for those who can't currently find insurance through private firms. I have 3 chronically ill children. I know about the challenges of finding insurance. Justin (diabetic), currently has good coverage through an already existing Govt. program. CHIP has saved his opportunity to be on a mission. He would not be going, if not for that insurance. Benjamin and Ian (chronic IBD and autistic, respectively) are indeed on Medicaid, for which I am grateful, but if this newest monster passes, I trust the CBO and the BBB, which say that Medicare and Medicaid will see huge cuts to help "pay" for the "public option". By the way, CHIP is also through medicaid.

Michelle currently doesn't have coverage, a fact I hate, because my employer (Conway Schools, but indirectly the State of Arkansas) doesn't offer equal coverage, and increases this past year would have made my very small annual step increase actually go backward. The State pays about twice as much on "state employees" as they do for teachers, and they expect the districts to pick up any significant difference. Of course, the employee pays the bulk of the plan. State and district covered $131 for the employee (about half), but spouse and children have to be covered solely by me! Our family premium was moved up to $887/month! ($756 out of my pocket!)

Michelle's portion of that was bumping $400 for some reason, so we decided to drop her from the coverage and attempt to find something supplemental. We ended up doing a minor "self-insured" program.

Now we are facing the threat that if we continue being "self insured", we will have to pay a fine (called "public option", so that the Government can claim to be covering all uninsured persons). Right now, it isn't pretty, but we put aside $50-100 each month to cover Michelle's medical expenses, and, yes, we pray very hard that she will stay generally healthy.

And three: Like any major govt. program, the method of payment will be taxes. This is not a redirection of funds. The 800+ BILLION dollar program will be paid for in taxes and other fees, from both individuals, and medical industry companies. And keep in mind something I "ranted" months ago. When we raise the taxes on businesses and the wealthy people who create the businesses, if they want to stay in business, they will get their money from the end consumer.

Again, an illustration. Units, all units of purchase (gallons, pints, boxes, loaves, minutes, etc.) will not have to increase much to hurt us. If the taxes on a major corporation's UNIT supply go up significantly, because the Government feels they are making "scandalous profits", they can make that up by raising the price of each unit by a few cents. If each unit went up one nickel, not very many people would complain loudly. How much did we see gas, milk, cereal, bread, etc. go up last year, and no huge public outcry.? If an average family purchases 10000 UNITS per year (a very low figure), that nickel increase amounts to expenses growing by $500. Wouldn't seem like much, unless annual income was threatening to go backward. Oh, wait! Yeah, it would seem like much, since many people would need to work an extra week to make up that difference, and there are only 52 weeks in the year.

So a socialist government continues to raise taxes to pay for newer and bigger programs, to take care of the growing number of people who can't make ends meet, and those businesses, trying to stay alive, will raise the UNIT price, while attempting to maintain the cost/Unit, ie. wages utilities. and such. Vicious cycle, larger government involvement if not outright control. Businesses being "purchased" or taken over by the government(bailouts, with conditions naturally), attempts to portray a concept of "private ownership", but overt government influence on every aspect of economic life, both for the individual and the corporate world.

Any of this seeming familiar lately? It has been attempted in other countries, some of them for decades, and the outcome is less than desirable. Some of our friends who have worked this way for some time, are seeing so many problems, they are going to a system similar to what America has been up to this point. Germany, for example, has shifted very much toward a business friendly centrist/conservative government coalition, after many years of struggling with the financial burdens of a fairly socialist approach. At last check, Sweden still has a very socialist program, and a tax burden bordering the 70% range. A friend I knew years ago said you had to be so far in debt to be able to keep your paycheck, that your grandchildren might hope to pay it off, if they were not in the same boat.

When the government promises to take care of everything, someone will have to pay for it. Government officials will try to make it sound like the business owners who make big profits are evil, so they can convince the rest of us that it is OK to "take from the rich to give to the poor". Only problem, they are not Robin Hood, they are the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Let us work it out! When it costs too much, we the people, won't buy it! Those companies who want to stay alive will lower their prices to a point that they succeed. When we can't afford something needed, like health care, if left alone, someone will fill the void. It is not always perfect, or pretty, but it is going to happen. When we want something, we will find a way to get it! Keep the government out of the way! When the Sheriff of Nottingham gets involved, the Robin Hoods of the world will step in. By the way, consider that Robin was one of those "evil" wealthy people, who saw the suffering of the common people, and found a way to step in and help. The sheriff simply used the beggars to forward his own agenda and plots to control the country. WOW!

I am going to use some otherwise useless time, and put some thoughts down, so that I can move faster tonight at home, where my internet is very slow.

The last few days have been very full, emotionally. We had the opportunity to go to the temple with Justin last Friday. The trip to Memphis was pleasant. It is a fairly flat, straight drive once we pass Bald Knob. Dad can vouch for the drive. There are long stretches that are similar to driving through Texas. Straight as an arrow, nothing on either side but vast fields, and very little, if any change in altitude.

The Temple was a very special experience, as we had a very small session. I think I counted 20, which included several temple workers. Overall, it was a very good experience. We all (Michelle, Justin and myself) had experiences that I will share with many of you on a personal basis. I just don’t feel this is the place to share some of those moments.

The weekend went way too fast, but it was good to have all of us at home. Of course, Justin was not working, but we had him hopping, as he packed, and unpacked. He had to go through his checklist with Michelle and me, because packing for 2 years takes some care, as most of you know.

Sunday went by way too fast. We had a wonderful primary program during sacrament meeting. (clarification): Primary refers to our church organization for kids between 3-12 yr. old. Each year they present a program during our main worship service. Since Justin is one of the teachers, they had planned it before he left. Elizabeth is playing the piano for Primary, so we had 3 of ours in the program. Kaylee sang a solo for one of the songs.

It was also nice to have one of our Stake Presidency as the visiting speaker, to finish out the meeting.

Then, as we do on every 3^rd Sunday, we had our Branch potluck dinner. Wow, we have got some very talented chefs in our little Branch. I know Justin enjoyed the “last meal”, but it did mean we were at the church until nearly 3:30.

Factor in the long drive home, and it felt like Sunday night came way too quick. Justin’s flight was going out at 6:50 Monday morning, so we needed to leave our house by about 3 am to get him to the airport for check-in. We decided that Michelle and Elizabeth might be too teary-eyed to make the drive back to Drasco, and the younger kids would struggle with the early start, so I would drive Justin to Little Rock, and then go from there to school.

We went down to Searcy to see the Stake President, so that he could set Justin apart for his mission. We had a good visit. President Berkheimer’s son comes home in just a few days, so it helped Michelle that they felt it had gone by fast.

We had an emotional visit Sunday night, got everything checked, packed, labeled and piled in the front room. I gave Justin a priesthood blessing, and we went to bed at about 11:30.

I think all of us wished the hours would slow down a bit. Especially the short hours between 11 and 2 am. That’s what time I got up to get ready for work. I woke Justin up as late as I could justify, and still make the airport. I am really glad that we have family in Utah Valley, so that J. could have a day or two to adjust, rest, etc. Mike, Karen, Thank you so much for helping us out that way. I know it made the transition easier for Michelle, and I am sure Justin was better off for the transition as well. I know from the time I left for my own mission. Staying with David and Margo for the two days prior to my entering the MTC was both enjoyable and helpful. Thanks again for letting Justin come spend some time with you and his cousins.

Monday morning was hard. The early start was the least of it! I wanted to talk Justin’s ear off. I needed to talk to stay awake, but I knew how tired Justin was, so I wanted to let him sleep. As it stood, Justin was also pretty keyed up. (can’t figure out why) He and I talked the whole way down to Little Rock. It was a very good father/son time. I hope some of the things I said will help Justin, but I also know that he is a strong enough young man, that much of the conversation was about things he already knew. “Preaching to the choir”, so to speak.

It is going to be very strange not having him around. I know with work, school, etc., he was gone an awful lot of the time, but this is not the same. Even when he was away at UALR (sorry, family; University of Arkansas at Little Rock), we still had the ability to talk to him daily. Okay, this is Justin! He frequently forgot to turn on his cell phone, or was out of his room at odd hours doing library research, or playing "airsoft BB's war" with roommates and dorm mates. One time he had been unreachable for 3 days, so Michelle asked me to take the long way home from work, and drive over to check on him.

Can't do that now! As a missionary, he will have a weekly opportunity to send and receive e-mail, and of course he can write letters on his preparation day (laundry, letters, shopping, cleaning, for those not familiar with the lingo). Some of you got a forward of his first e-mail.........yes, it was only 3 lines! We got a letter from him today.........It barely filled a small page; maybe 30 lines. He will have to get better about including detail, or his Mom may be asking me to "take the long way home from work" to check on him.

Mr. Linn, I may be gone the next several days. :)

Interim post

I am such a dummy! I have been working on a draft with thoughts about the major events in our family's life, but the flashdrive containing those thoughts got left in my classroom after parent/teacher conferences.



There were some things about Justin, naturally. Some thoughts about Elizabeth's doings, and of course, a planned update on the situations of all of the children.



I also think I had started something in there about the weather. I am generally pretty laid back about things that I can't control, and I do enjoy the amazing varieties in nature, including the weather patterns. I guess that is why am starting to think I am about sick of all this rain! Not much variety in the pattern, when the pattern is a month with only 7 days of sunshine! Kathy, did we switch weather with Seattle and I just missed it?

I am back. If it seems like my train of thought derailed,.......... it did!

I was typing along, and then our stupid dial up issues nuked my momentum. Being on a single line, unless I block call waiting, any in-coming calls will disconnect the browser. I usually block, unless I am expecting a call. The problem is, that anyone in the house picking up the phone and dialing will do the same thing. So unless we make a loud announcement about getting online, that does tend to happen, unless I post very late at night.

And once the connection is down, there is always something to do while waiting. It usually involves chicken houses. That's a 25-45 minute interruption, and then it is usually late enough I just want to go to bed.

Oh, yeah, about the weather. One thing that has amazed me about this year's wet summer is the relatively low incidence of severe flooding. Don't misunderstand; lots of high water, and flood damage, but not as many stories about houses washed away, people and their cars swept off bridges, etc. This year, it is more about crop loss, and records being set. And Greer's Ferry Lake has not risen to the same level it reached with all the flooding of about 2 years ago.

Anyway, I look forward to some sunshine!

I can't just keep quiet!

I have tried to be very positive and fair with my posts, and since I am aware that these are not exclusively for my family, I wanted everyone to know that I enjoy talking about family memories and events, just to keep everyone updated.

I know that these forums have great potential to become "rant" pages, and I really don't want to turn mine into that, but I have just about had enough over the past several weeks, and I can no longer keep quiet!

Let me say, It has been a real joy having Dad and Mom out to visit us this weekend! We got some great time together, and have shared a lot of stories, and updates, and just generally had a very pleasant visit. Friday morning an announcement hit the news pages, that led to some interesting discussion at our house.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I consider myself a fairly staunch conservative. I have registered Republican simply because the majority of Rep. candidates over several voting cycles have leaned more conservative than their Dem counterparts. That does not mean I support the republican party line categorically, only when they support those values and policies that I believe are best for this country and individual freedoms. I may be wrong, and those that disagree with me, I hope you feel the same about that right to disagree. That you would also defend to the death my right to disagree with you.

But we all know by listening to our politicians rant, that the right to disagree is only considered valuable to some, when they feel they are in the minority. But when they take the majority, anyone who disagrees is all of a sudden a person to be vilified, and ostracized, censured, censored or worse.

The number of times I have listened to people go on about our current president is a perfect example. Under Bush II, those currently in power (Dem's) piled on the vicious, the twisted, and sometimes the downright false, and claimed with all sincerity that "questioning" the administration was the highest form of American patriotism. That "We the People" should never just simply accept what the vast Right Wing fed us through the "supportive media". (What the ....what?!?)

Anyone with open eyes and half a brain cell can see that the vast media is leaning so far socialist left that they actually make our current President look conservative by comparison!!

Back to my point! Vicious personal remarks were commonly aimed at Bush II, websites encouraging such vile things as violent hate sex were posted naming conservative female congressional reps as preferred targets, policy decisions were touted as hate crimes against humanity, and the media and Dem politicians alike claimed that this dialogue was just an exercise in free speech! Now it's anti-american to disagree with our current administration!

I don't have time to get into the biased media NON-coverage during the last election. Suffice it to say, I also believe that the year 2008 can be named as the year in which the concept of objective, hard-hitting, expository news coverage passed away. Died, dead, finito, ausgestorben! But congratulations to a junior senator from Chicago, whose major efforts in his Senate years (other than giving some great leftist speeches and running for President) involved efforts to make the UN and other international entities take precedence over US interests and policies. Things like a "tax" for lack of a better name, 1% of the US GDP to be handed over to the UN for "distribution" around the world. Has anybody heard lately how many billions we already send around the world in humanitarian aid? There are countries that wouldn't even exist were it not for the United States of AMERICA!

Well, payback is expected! Less than 2 weeks after moving into the White House, Pres. Obama becomes a nominee for the Nobel peace Prize! Now he won! Congratulations! But for What? According to comments posted on a German NEWS website, where they actually still ask the hard questions, the answer seems to be for a bunch of promises! I read over 200 comments posted by Germans, and even though it is not a large sample, the sample broke down into about 3 categories.

Group one, nearly 2/3 of the sample were shocked, and/or appalled at the thought that such a prestigious award would go to someone for a bunch of yet unrealized-and probably unrealistic promises. Others felt like he deserved it because he had "admitted" America's arrogance and stupidity, and promised to be better. A tiny group (maybe sarcastic, with Germans it's hard to tell in print) said "what's the Nobel peace prize?"

My rant has to do with the hypocrisy of it all. Tie in the current debate on health care, middle east policy, Gitmo, you name it. Hypocrisy abounds. The favorite phrase I hear over and over is "racist". You cannot disagree with this President without being racist, because only a racist would disagree with a black man who made history by becoming the first black US pres.

To disagree means you are a racist dinosaur who doesn't see the vast picture that this president sees. A picture where the govt. provides all the basic needs from cradle to grave, using the money left over after they take 1% of the GDP to do the same for as many countries as possible. A picture where the evil (translate hard-working/ambitious/gifted/motivated) people of this country who make more than you are penalized for their efforts, to make sure that everyone's needs are met. You know who you are.

A picture where everyone simply says "hurray" when the president speaks, (but only a leftist pres.) and all those who disagree can be easily identified by the "racist" card they carry in their wallets. A picture where blind voters follow gladly behind blind government avarice.

When will Americans wake up? We always need to be questioning our Government! We don't need to be mean spirited about it! We can, and should disagree, because no one person has the perfect solution for a country this big. The debate is where we find the middle ground where all can truly thrive, but the debate is key to that discovery. Show respect for the office, even when you disagree with the man! Show respect for the man, even when you feel he doesn't deserve it! Show respect for the great men who helped found this country by being a part of the process, not just a loud angry mob on the sidelines.

But for Heaven's sake, and most certainly America's, allow and expect the same treatment for and from the other side!

Weekend Warrior

You know how projects and chores can seem to pile up, and then all of a sudden, the timing just works, and you end up doing what feels like all of them? That has been my week, ending in a very full weekend.

As you know, there are always things to be done on the chicken farm. We have managed to get most of the waterline repairs done, things like changing regulators, and fixing minor leaks. We had one line break loose as the catchers showed up to catch the last flock, and with new birds, I had to spend some time getting that line rehung. I am glad that I have good helpers in Justin, Ian and Ben. That was a couple of weeks, ago, but it was the emergency that kind of threw these other projects back a few weeks.

Of course, mowing and string trimming are a never-ending chore, particularly in a summer that has been the wettest in Arkansas' recorded history. Kathy, Andrew, I don't know how you guys keep up. Maybe the slightly cooler weather in Seattle.............Oh, wait, YOU had the 100 + temps this year, not us. We also have the first year in Arkansas history where there was not a single day of 100+ at the main weather monitoring sites in Little Rock, and the surrounding communities.

That has made anything moisture related a chore for us. And it sure made this last round of projects fun.

Last Saturday began the real fun. Michelle and I have been planning to put a porch off the back door. We want to do the front porch, but it will be larger, and therefore somewhat more expensive. OK, a LOT more expensive. We decided to put the back on, because Michelle's Granny Edna is coming out this week, and she can not navigate stairs very well. The front stairs are tall, and have become slightly wobbly with age. I hope we will have saved the amount needed to get the front porch under way, before the steps really start to give out, but with Justin leaving on his mission in 3 weeks, that may be our next tax-refund check.

Anyway, the back porch had to be built on the last 2 weekends, or it had to be built in the midnight hours during the week. LOL, last weekend, it had rained, as it had done all week, up until Friday night. Michelle and the Youth from church were gone to Morrilton for a service project at Petit Jean State PArk.

Justin, Kaylee, Ben and I stayed home and played in the mud. We were trying to get the footings set for the porch. I really don't like digging holes for structures when the ground is this wet, but we are on a bit of a time crunch. It was almost funny, because when the first hole was about 6 inches deep, it started to fill up with water. Nice little artesian well we had going!

So, the kids bailed water, I dug mud, and we set, unburied, and reset the concrete base pier block for the next 3 hours. 1 Block! we ended up adding about 50 lbs. of large balast rock (2-3" gravel) to keep the pier from disappearing into the mud again. You may ask why we had dug so deep, if we needed to fill the hole back in with gravel. I'll tell you.

Just before she left, Michelle saw all the water in the hole, felt it was clearer than the second hole we had started, and realized that we were very close to the water line into the house. She wondered if we didn't have a leak in the supply line to the house, and asked me to please dig down to make sure we didn't have a leak. So our hole, ( although sideways from the waterline) had to be deep enough to find the water line and verify that it was intact. The mud we threw back in the hole did not support the concrete block, which sank out of sight 3 times, before we got enough gravel in the hole to support it securely.

Once we got the blocks set, I have spent several post-daylight hours this week, measuring, cutting and fastening boards to get the porch done. It is not huge, only 6 1/2 ft. X 6 ft, but it is very solid, with a nice built in bench for donning and removing chicken house shoes and other grimy footwear. The steps are low and wide, and rock solid. I am very proud of it. I consider myself pretty handy, but lately it has all been used to maintain farm houses. It is nice to use it for us.

Then, you know how one project leads to another? You guessed it. We have been meaning to build a high storage shelf in the utility room for ages. Just a place to put some things up out of the way, and utilize the huge space over the freezer. Nothing big, just a couple of 2X4's, some plywood, some measuring and cutting, and nails. But it always got set to the back burner. Well not this weekend. Shelf accomplished!!

Then I spent a few hours helping Bob dig some holes to mount a back-up switch to our old chicken house. The automatic switch will transfer from grid power to generator during a power outage. 18 inches-24 inches deep, about 1 ft. across. Should be nothing, as wet as the ground is. No water to carry for the cement, Mother Nature is bringing the water. Wishful thinking! 6 inches down, we find a layer of bedrock!

Now, around here, bedrock is mostly sandstone, so we needed to get through it. I used the 40 lbs. breaking bar that Bob has. I was finally able to break a hole roughly the right size. The rock was only about 6" thick, and we were able to go down the last foot with ease. Posts are mounted, electrician scheduled. Mission accomplished!

But wait, we're not done yet! While Bob and I were digging, I had given the kids an assignment. One related to my last posts about fruit. Bob has an old pear tree. He can't even remember what kind. It is not bartlett, but one of the varieties that stays really hard, but gets really sweet. We have discovered in years past that these pears make excellent "apple" pie filling. When cooked, you can't tell they're not apples.

Well, of course, this week they are ripe, and starting to fall off the tree. The tree is small, but it was about the only thing food related that produced like mad this year! So we wanted to take advantage. That meant the kids picked pears, while Bob and I dug. 4 buckets. (the 5-gallon size) They left quite a lot on the tree, but they only had 4 buckets. So after all our sawing, nailing, screwing, pounding fun on the porch and shelf; after all the bone-jarring, knuckle scraping, rock-breaking, muscle aching fun digging post holes; after the constant entertainment of running back and forth to chicken houses at regular intervals,

We finally got to break out the canning assembly line! We made several quarts of pie filling, and a number of quarts of pear slices. And we did all that before it was time to send Michelle and the younger boys off to the Church building. Michelle to join the Relief Society sisters in a dinner before the General Women's broadcast for Conference, and the boys, as a service project to clean up and wash dishes, etc., so the sisters could visit. There were 49 sisters from 3 branches that were invited to come to Batesville for the broadcast!

I think I will be sore for the next few days, but I really feel like we got a lot done this weekend.

And then there was Sunday!

What a bunch of fruits!

What a summer this has been! It has had some really great events, like my european trip with Elizabeth. That was really fun, and (sad in a way) the first time I have been able to travel with one of my children. As you may recall, Justin was too young to travel with me while we lived in Utah, and when I started teaching again in Arkansas, Justin was too busy being a genious during the summers. My first trip from Conway, I think Justin (age 17), had sophomore college classes that he needed to stay in, so he couldn't go. He missed this trip because he had just started a new job to earn more money for his mission.

Now that travel has been given the OK by the district superintendent, I will go every 2 years, and it will put each of the children at 16-17 when it is their turn to go. That is perfect!

We have had some good family moments over the summer, but one thing I have missed is the opportunity to can. I consider myself a moderately efficient gardener, and we have nearly always had fruits and vegetables to can each summer that I can remember. This year, garden placement, weather and bugs have gotten the better of me. Our garden is in boxes due to the rocks and roots of hardwood forest where we live. I have already cleared about 1/2 acre of trees for the garden, but as the ones left spread, they are starting to limit sunshine hours.

The weather this year has been strange. Old-timers can't remember a wetter, cooler summer in these parts. July was the wettest on record for Arkansas by nearly 2 inches, and it has also been the first year ever recorded where we have not had a single day of 100+ temperatures. That has made it hard to stay ahead of things like mold and other moisture related maladies. Kathy, I don't know how you guys can raise a garden! A few more hours of sunshine each day may have made the difference, but the big oaks and a few smaller gums that need to come out will have to be dropped when they won't destroy what garden is already there. Chores for a winter Saturday, I guess!

Then the bugs! I try to not go pesticide crazy, but I am not against using chemical pesticides. But the best ones out there don't recommend being spread when the leaves are actually wet, and high humidity(dew), high rainfall, more overcast days, have limited the use of such chemicals. I have taken to picking the beetles and tomato worms (our two biggest enemies) by hand, and crushing them under my foot. As you can imagine, that can be time consuming (and gross!). I try to catch lizards and put them in the garden, the way my grandma used to do, but they don't stay long enough. We have also had a very low population of predator bugs for some reason. Praying mantis and walking sticks were not as prevalent this year for whatever reason. Even the spiders were not as heavy in the garden as usual. Maybe they just stayed out in the woods more, because there was plenty of moisture away from gardens and yards?

With all this, I have harvested less than 1 dozen yellow and zucchini squash (off 6 large, beautiful plants!), and tomatoes(10 plants) and peppers(6 plants), have produced enough for just a few days of sandwiches and (I think) 10 pints of salsa. We usually get 3-4 dozen quarts of tomatoes and the same number of pints of salsa, and I can eat fresh tomato sandwiches every day if I want. I have missed that this summer.

We are trying to follow patterns from our childhood, because Michelle and I both have good memories of the family work time of preparing and canning different foods. I remember how much fun we had every year going up towards Fresno ( I can't remember to where), to pick cherries. I know we ate as many as we picked some years. But we always came home with boxes and boxes. Then the next day or so was spent in a great Wahlquist assembly line mode. We would rotate jobs ( I know, Mom, not always willingly), and wash, trim, de-stem, pack into jars, add sugar, then water to make the "syrup", and the entire process of canning, cooling, storing. Any arguments have been ruled insignificant enough that my memory doesn't recall them. What I remember about those days canning is that we enjoyed working together nearly as much as we enjoyed going out to the store room and bringing in several quarts of our treasure.

Someday, I will put my take on the "Cherry-Chili" argument in this blog, but it has to do with the feeling that cherries were a special treat because we had all worked so hard to have them.

Then we were fortunate enough to have the beautiful apricot trees in our yard, and access to peach orchards that allowed people to come in and glean. Peaches and apricots are messier to pack, but I remember how much fun we had seeing if we could process the same amount as last year in a faster time, or pack significantly more. Not to mention the fresh fruit opportunities, when you have all those peaches and apricots waiting to be eaten. My mouth waters at the thought of some chilled apricots or peaches, slightly sweetened, swimming in cream! As Homer would say "peaches and cream.....hmmmmmmmmm".

These memories tie into trips to Utah, because, of course, we seemed to always be there about the time apricots were ripe. I was trying to recall if Grandpa and Grandma Wahlquist had peach trees? I seem to recall a fair amount of peach canning in my "Toquerville memories", but I know there were always lots of apricots. And OOHHH the fun we had with apricots. ( and I don't mean the apricot fights, although that was also fun). With their cows providing fresh whole milk and cream, i remember the huge bowls of fresh apricots and cream, the afternoons spent preparing for a big family get together by watching grandma mix up huge batches of apricot ice cream, and taking turns at the big hand-cranked freezer(s). No commercial ice cream, (if they ever even made apricot) could ever come close to Grandma's homemade apricot ice cream!! Again, Homer would say " apricot ice-cream.........hhmmmmmmmm!"

Here in Arkansas, apricots don't do so well, so they are harder to find in large quantities. Peaches do OK, but the closest orchard is an hour away, and they charged so much last time we picked, it was about twice the cost of buying canned peaches from the store. I really prefer the home canned, and fresh frozen peaches, but when the budget is tight, it makes no sense to pay 2x, just for the sake of canning a few quarts.

I look forward to next year ( as this year's growth season is coming to an end), and renewed opportunities. My children need to have the fun memories of dealing with a bunch of fruits!

Birthdays and family

I was reading some of the family blogs , and I noticed the title on Mom's. It caught my eye, because I had spoken with her on her birthday, and she seemed to be having a pretty good birthday, so the "I'll cry if I want to" reference got my attention.

I really did enjoy reading her thoughts on a good life, and since Mom and I share a birthday, it caused me to do some reflecting on the many blessings of my own life.

I have some great memories from childhood, and the vast majority revolve around family. I am so glad that I get along with my family. I had friends that couldn't stand to spend time with their families, and I can't think of many things that are more enjoyable.

Even as a kid, family time was nearly always a positive memory. Now, all of you siblings, I hope we have all kind of moved some periods, and some specifics to a background role. The ever infamous "Cherry-Chili" argument (translate stupidity on Scott's part), although very intense as I recall, has a very special place in the "lessons-realized-later-through-humor" place in my memory. By the way, have I ever really apologized for that mess? If not, I am sorry!

Growing up in Utah (yes I have memories from Utah), and Bakersfield CA, There are so many things that I remember fondly. A Utah memory (mutated through age, I was less than 4), is the day our back yard flooded by the irrigation ditch that ran past the corner of the yard. I recall that it cut a small corner off our yard, and we played in a bush or something on the triangular "island" on the other side of the ditch up against the fence (hedge?). On one of the many days it overflowed the ditch, All I remember is watching the fish flop around in the yard, and being so excited that we could just pick them up into one of Mom's big pots. My tinychild memory has them as huge fish, and a massive canning pot full. I bet they were just big enough to be worth eating, and maybe just a pan full. I need feedback from those whose memories are clearer.

In Bakersfield, I was blessed to have not only great friends my own age, but some pretty amazing neighbors , like second grandparents. Art and Fern Skinner have a special place in my heart. I know all of my family feels the same way. Art took us fishing whenever he could, and I loved spending time with him out in his boat on Lake Isabella and Lake Success. Even the day our fishing trip was cut short by his outboard exploding is actually logged as a fond memory, because we all took care of each other, no one was hurt, and we learned to deal with life's mishaps with humor and a cool head.  There are also the countless times he appeared in our yard with one or several huge watermelons, and other local melons, and we would just have the greatest time slurping ripe melon and seeing how far we could spit the seeds.  He always could pick them perfect!

I also recall the night I crawled over our fence in a fevered haze at 2 am, and later found myself sitting in the Skinner's kitchen drinking a tall mug of Hot Cocoa while Art called my parents to let them know I was OK. They were Grandparents in every sense but bloodline. I really miss them, but I am so glad they were a part of my life.  I could keep going for hours just about Art and Fern.  There were many others from my Bakersfield life that deserve mention, but Time is short.  (it's nearly 11 pm)

As a teenager, I was lucky to work for some really good people, who helped teach me the value and satisfaction of a job well done.  All of this was flavored by family work-ethics, but I can say that my early "bosses" set the stage for a pretty positive work experience for me.  I have always related well to my bosses.  Several of them I still call friends.  My jobs have not always kept us rolling in cash, but they have always kept us fed, clothed and sheltered.  It HAS been really tight at times, but none of my children besides Benjamin know what it is like to go truly hungry, and Ben is because of his medical issues.

That brings up another area where I have been really blessed, and family played a big role.  Serving my mission in Switzerland has given me so many great memories, and lessons, both related to my spiritual well-being, and things that have been useful in life, even beyond the obvious career.  My family has set such a great example of missionary service, I am glad to be a part of that history.  And then, at the end of my mission, my sisters convinced me to join them, even though it was late, and I had been in airports for over 24 hours, at the fairgrounds to work on our church group's parade float for Homecoming.

As all of the family know, the young woman in charge made a lasting impression on me:)  I knew right away that Michelle was someone I could be good friends with, and as we got to know each other better over the next few months, and I finally worked up courage to ask her out, that friendship has developed into something that will last into eternity.  My sisters confessed later that they were kind of hoping......THANK YOU!!

I am so thankful for Michelle's strength.  We have been through a lot together.  She doesn't always feel like she is holding it together, but I can tell you that she deals with so much STUFF in such a dedicated way, that we can also claim to have been blessed with some pretty amazing challenges.  It has helped Michelle be there for others when their lives seemed so out of control.  She can relate on a personal level to many of life's major challenges.  She and I sometimes wish we weren't so relatable to people with traumas, but it has blessed other lives, and I think, therefore, ours as well.  I love that our friendship will last long enough that the last 20 years will seem like a drop in the ocean.

You know, As I get going on happy memories, I think I could write an entire book.  So many things I can recall learning from family outings, camping trips, working in nearly every type of setting from fields to farms to factories.  Time spent with large family groups, and time spent with just my brothers or my sons.  Silly fights, and quiet, spiritual moments.  All of this family time has blessed my life beyond comprehension.  I think an attempt to catalog it all would take more time than I have in this life, but I want to thank all of you who have been, and are currently such a huge part of the positive experience that is my life.

Okay, now I'm just starting to get gushy, and it is getting late.  I will gush some more later about fun memories like "canning days", milking cows, hauling hay, "gutter regatas" and the like.  If I continue that list, I will never stop.  Goodnight!

Pray for my soul!

I know it has been a while since my last post. We have been staying very busy, between chicken houses, teenagers with jobs and other activities, Michelle's business, school getting started, gardens, yards and the list goes on! Our three youngest have been eagerly awaiting the start of school (I know, some people think they're weird!), but so have I.

We have a new principal this year. I liked our old principal, Mickey Siler, but he retired, and I think we are going to have a good run with Mr. Joel Linn. He met with the departments during the summer, and I think his energy and positive outlook will help CHSE continue on a good path for the future. I am looking forward to working with him. We have some other new teachers, and one of the most exciting for our department is a young lady from China. Xi Chen, known to most as "Anny" is teaching beginning chinese on our campus. That is very exciting for the FL dept. Some might see it as a threat to the other languages, but I have seen what a program can look like when there is great excitement about a new language. Don't forget, American Fork had 53% of the student population in For. Lang. classes. Nobody suffered when we tried to add Italian, or Hebrew, or even the small Ind. Study Arabic class. We still kept the administration jumping trying to find and keep language teachers for all of the programs.

I am looking forward to putting Mr. Linn in the position of needing a part-time German teacher next year. I needed one this year, but the 3rd year class was small enough that the administration could justify dropping it. My numbers should play out next year to avoid that possibility.

Should be a good school year, for all of us. It can't hurt that we have lots of people praying for us. It feels like my high-school days in Bakersfield, CA. I have people praying for my soul. The kids (Elizabeth in particular) have had strangers come up to them and inform them that they are praying for their souls. Good thing!

I guess there is some wave of teachings about various churches, or particularly the Mormons, I don't know which. I got some sense of it a few weeks ago, when Bob and Phyllis approached Michelle with some questions about the Church, and then proceeded to challenge her about her beliefs. They claim they were just asking questions, but when she responded with what we believe, she got a frequent "no you don't" response. They said some things that were very hurtful to Michelle, and she refuses to discuss religious topics with them anymore.

They asked me to come "answer their questions", and so a couple of weeks ago, I went over and spent 2 hours discussing our beliefs. More often than not, the "questions" were actually challenges straight from anti-Mormon literature, with a good example, and the most aggravating being the constant claim that we don't even believe in the Bible. In particular the King James version, which is what many of the local churches use. They wouldn't even bother looking at my own personal, 20+ year old King James Bible, because they "know" it is just the Mormon twist, and looks nothing like the "true" King James Bible.

I have dealt with that ...........attitude from others over many years, but it has been interesting to hear it from family. We are still getting along, but religion will just be one of those quiet subjects around here. we want to keep the family relationship strong, but if they are unwilling to be open-minded, it is pointless to discuss.

Then to hear that the kids are having relatively unknown kids approach them at school and inform them that they pray for our souls......., interesting times are ahead, I think!

One of the ironies to this whole line of thinking, however, is the total contradiction in the argument. Bob and Phyllis believe, as do so many, that the only thing necessary to achieve salvation is to profess belief in Jesus Christ, to accept Him as our Savior. They feel confident in that faith, but for some unexplainable reason, no matter how strenuously WE profess the divine mission of our Savior, no matter how deeply we bear testimony of Christ's divine heritage, and admit his role as the Savior of the world, the saving grace that applies to anyone who professes belief does not apply to Mormons! ??? Bob actually told me that if he died tonight, he would be fine, but if I died tonight, my soul was in jeopardy! I find it both aggravating, and sadly humorous. I guess they don't really believe their own doctrine. A cousin who died of drug and alcohol abuse, but still "claimed" to believe in Christ, stands a better chance in the hereafter than us Mormons, according to them.

I try not to let it make me upset, but it does sadden me. I know part of it is trying to reconcile a personal decision many years ago to leave the Church, but it is sad that the only way to do that is to try to put us down, to convince us of the evil of our ways, and to disregard anything we say to the contrary. Let anyone who believes the Mormons are not Christian read some actual Mormon literature, not all the stuff put out there by our enemies. Most importantly the scriptures, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. They would have to be blind to not see our faith in our Savior. Yes we have a different interpretation of scripture than they do! we have a different understanding of Christ's mission than they do. We don't have to rely on individual interpretations of men. We have prophets to teach us the truth! If our interpretation of each verse was the same as theirs, what would be the difference?

I guess the difference might be that they would allow that we also might be saved by faith? That all we need do is profess belief?

Well, if they are right..then every Mormon is in pretty good shape, because Christ is the most important being in our lives. We worship Him as our Savior, Son of God, LITERALLY resurrected, Light unto the world.

But if we are right (and obviously I feel we are), then Christ has continued to communicate with us, and He has given us continued commandments, and all mankind will be held responsible for how well they have followed those commandments. Can we be considered clean if we fail to follow ALL of God's commandments? Even the ones given to us in this dispensation of time?

I guess it bothered me more than I thought originally. I have been able to get along with many friends, of many different faiths, and I will continue to be fine. I know what is truth, I know not everyone will agree with me, but I know what I need to do. I will just keep praying, I will just stay faithful in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and, everytime someone says to me, " I pray for your soul", I will just keep smiling and responding with "thank you, I pray for your soul as well."

No matter what, just remember...Jesus loves you!

Big News! Crazy Times ahead!

Well, I am so excited! We have had a great bit of news this past week! It is about Justin, and I am pretty sure that all of the family already know, but I just had to share some thoughts with the rest of the blogosphere.

I was with Elizabeth and Ian at our Stake Youth Conference, which was held at Arkansas Tech, in Russellville. We had a really uplifting weekend. It is always good to have that large a group of kids from Church get together and discuss the truly important things of life. I know my 2 had a good time, and the friends that Liz brought along are also excited about the chance to hang out with so many good Christian teenagers.

The entire focus of the conference was the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. The classes and speakers were amazing, and the spirit we all felt is hard to describe for someone who has not been there before. One of my favorite mini-classes focused on the way that our Savior's very infinite Atonement was also very, extremely individual. For all of us together, but for each of us, separately.

My big news, however, came on Thursday afternoon, as we were waiting to go into the cafeteria for dinner. I had found out that Justin's missionary application was far enough in the process that he should be getting his mission call this week.

Before I go on, a note to explain.. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, it is typical (not required, but anticipated), that young men will choose to serve a church mission sometime shortly after their 19th birthday. These missions are for 2 years, at the missionary's expense, and they can be called to anyplace in the world. Young women may apply for a missionary service after their 21st birthday, and the call is 18 months.

Justin, (my oldest son, for those who may not know my family), has been looking forward to being a missionary from the time he could remember singing "I hope they call me on a mission", sometime between 3 and 5 years old. We always knew that his diabetes would be a factor in where he would serve.

This past year has been one of great frustration for us in this regard. Because of his diabetes, Justin cannot serve a mission, unless he has insurance coverage. My insurance through the school drops Justin like a scalding hot potato as soon as he is no longer a student. Being diabetic, no company will even look Justin's direction, a choice I can understand, from a business point of view.

What to do? Justin was preparing himself to be devastated, and Michelle and I spent many mornings and afternoons crying amongst ourselves, as we hit one brick wall after another. We had called the offices of the DHS to see if there were any government programs that might help, and were told, in these exact words.." it sounds like you're basically screwed". (sorry to anyone who finds that type of phrasing offensive, but that was a direct quote from the assistant manager of our closest DHS office.) That's how we were feeling.

Michelle, as a last ditch attempt, before breaking the heartbreaking news to Justin, had decided to call Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and see if we would have any chance of cramming the very high premium she had already been quoted, into our family budget. She just needed to know if there was a long waiting period on existing conditions.

The associate who answered the call has a fond place in our lives right now, and I wish I could name her, to give recognition. She asked Michelle if she had contacted DHS about the CHIP program. Michelle was shocked. She found out that the Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool was exactly what Justin needed. A way to be a working, even successful part of working society, and get health insurance, in spite of being a very high risk case. And the premium was not terribly expensive.

Well, to shorten a long (and probably boring to you) story, we jumped through all the silly hoops required to get Justin enrolled through CHIP. This IS government work, so the change was .......frustrating. Like having to prove un-insurability for 60 days and having to be enrolled before 63 days since you were dropped had passed, and other such nonsense.

Well, Justin got all of that covered, and went through the interview and application process for a mission. The whole time he was being prepped by us, and some of the other leaders involved in the process, that he would most likely serve in the US, because of health concerns. Justin was happy to be able to go, but he had kind of set his heart young on going to a different country. But trusting that these calls are inspired, Justin was mostly just happy to be able to serve.

BAck to Russelville, Thursday July 23, 2009!

Having been informed that Justin's paperwork was in process, I found out from our stake clerk that the letter was in the mail. I called Michelle, and told her to please make Justin wait to open it until he had us on the phone. So we had our entire Branch group together. Myself, Elizabeth, Ian , Br. Babb and Sis. Pace (YM/YW leaders for the event)Brandi, (a young lady in our Branch) and Liz's friends Brailey and Jenny. I called home to hear the good news.

Justin read the words that so many missionaries have heard, indicating that this call comes from the Lord, through His prophet, and the call was to serve in the Guadalajara, Mexico mission starting in the Missionary training center on the 21st October 2009.

The entire cafeteria looked up to see what all the shouting was about in the hallway. It is so exciting to have Justin go to Mexico! Michelle will be very anxious, but she also knows that these callings come from our Heavenly Father. She also knows that Justin will be OK. That is where faith comes in. The nerves will pass, but the Lord will watch over her baby boy. He is not so little anymore, but he will always be her baby boy.

It is late, nearly 10:30, and I have to go sing lullabies. OK, not really, but I do have to "put chickens to bed".

Later!

Hi from the Hijacker

Hey everyone! This is Elizabeth. I'm hijacking my Dad's blog for a sec! I figured that you all got the, how did he put it? the "nerd history teacher" take on our germany trip, so I'll give you all a run down on the first timer's opinion!

Well, It. Was. Amazing! We started the tour, as dad said, in Vienna. The National Library was so beautiful! He wasn't kidding when he said you could smell the history! Every thing smelled of dust and age, but it was breath taking! The ceiling and all walls that weren't occupied by bookshelves were covered with the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen! Dad was disappointed that I didn't get a picture of Charles the Great's saber, but I got some pretty good pictures inside the National Treasury. I got to see the largest emerald in the world, but all the pictures I took of that didn't turn out, so... bummer! We got to spend hours walking around and exploring Vienna, which was quite the experience! Dad's knowledge of all the little, interesting histories made it even better! We would walk past a building, and Dad could tell all of the kids hanging around with us when and/or why it was built, or damaged (depening on the building). I got to experience a 'naschmarkt', which in german means 'snack market'. It was alot like a farmers market, but it also had a bunch of small built cafes and stores for different ethnic food, and that sort of thing. It was really cool because the tour guide kept taking us to the places that catered to the tourist, not the places that the people that actually lived there ate. It was fun haggling prices at one of the little clothes boothes there! I found a really pretty indian made dress for mom that I got the sales guy to cut the price on!! The center, which literally is the center of the city, was full of street performers and 'statues' that weren't really statues! They were people that paint themselves and wear costumes, like Mozart, and stand perfectly still for hours while people drop money in their bowls! We got to watch this one guy play the water glasses, and that was really something!! he was playing the glasses faster than I've ever heard anyone playing the piano!! and he sounded amazing!! He was playing various classical pieces and doing it all while adding and taking water from the glasses to get the right tone! Amazing.

After we left Vienna, we went to Munich, in germany. We went to the Dachau concentration camp. That was... something. Even if it hadn't been chilly that morning, I think I still would have had goosebumps! Walking in the 'yard' where these people did, being able to touch the beds where people were forced to sleep 5-8 to a bed, walking through the 'shower' which was really a gas chamber, being able to look straight into the incinerators where they dealt with the bodies... It was a touching experience! Its definatly increased my interest in the events of WWII. (just watched Valkyrie the other night, and it was so much more interesting this time because of the visit to Dachau!)

Once we left Munich, we stopped in a town called Oberammergau (try saying that one 5 time fast!) on our way to Innsbruck. While we were in Oberammergau, a couple of the other kids on the tour and I went to one of the parks and started talking to some teenagers hanging out there. They were doing this sport called slacklining, and helped us try it! it was so much fun! Basically, you tie one of those heavy duty nylon tie-downs to two trees, use the ratchetish thing to tighten it, and balance on it as you walk from one end to the other. The guys that were helping us were really good! They could do tricks as they went across! after a while we ended up in Innsbruck. The Chapel Bridge there is so pretty. in 1992 it was burnt half way across, but still stands and is stable enough to walk on! in the rafters of the covered bridge, there are pictures and text depicting the stories of some of the saint, or at least thats what Dad said, I adviously couldn't read it! The bridge was over a river or something that was FULL of swans!! they were everywhere!! We got to feed some of them on the banks of the river (until the swans started to attack me!!) And any girls reading this will appreciate this bit. The boys in Switzerland are sooo much cuter than the boys in america!!(no offense boys!) Me and a couple of the girls I met on the tour spent a few hours doing nothing but sitting on the steps of a bank, boy watching. no joke. I only wish I could have gotten pictures without looking a little weird!! :) Okay, there. I'm done letting the teenage girl in me run wild!!

After that, we went to This clock factory in the middle of the Black forest. The upper story of the building was a clock factory, but the lower story was a glass blowing shop and a cafe! It was so cool to watch this guy make a beautiful glass wine glass out of this shapeless blob by spinning it while holding it in a fire! it was... amazing! Dad was pretty jazzed because he got to eat a piece of Black Forest cake in the Black Forest!! He even took a picture of it! (goof!) After our lunch at the clock factory, we made our way to heidelberg, where we stayed the last night. It was an amazing trip! We had dinner at this cafe/restraunt thing built in/outside a church. The tourguide jokingly said 'how else do you get people to come to church?' The courtyard out back, where the cafe part was, was so pretty with the flowers surrounding it, and the fountain in the center! beautiful!!

All in all, the trip was great and I'm totally going back sometime within the next couple years!! Wow! I totally didn't mean to make it this long! Well, the gustapo is getting rid of the hijacker, so I gotta run! bye everyone!! I'll hijack it again soon!!

Vienna! I love this place!!

Well, I said I would try to post something specific about our trip, so here it is. I think Vienna is a great place to start, since that is where our tour started.

First of all, the Germans, Swiss and Austrians all refer to the capital of Austria as "Wien", say "veen" (rhymes with english "bean"). This is the home of the Hapsburg rulers, emperors of the Holy Roman Empire for over 600 years, from approx. 1200 AD into the late 1800's. These are descendants of "Karl der Grosse"; Charles the Great; known to most Americans by his French variation, "Charlemagne".

With a history as long and rich (literally AND figuratively)as this empire had, their capital city is going to be full of palaces, royal halls, Theaters and operas (music and art were important), fine hotels and restaurants that are over 400 years old. Can you imagine eating in a cafe that existed before the first pilgrims set foot on the American continent??

I so much enjoyed the time we had to explore Wien. I know that museums and old castles/palaces only hold a certain level of interest for your average teenagers, so I was very careful to help find things that were fun and interesting to the group. We did get to go see the National Library on the first day there. You could SMELL the history! That room was so ornate! The Hapsburgs were great supporters of the Arts and Literature, and, of course a somewhat self-serving interest in History as it evolved. There was an amazing set of globes that had been commissioned a few years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock! The curator informed us that the oldest book in the library was from 1501!! The frescoes and other ornate woodwork were just ........ breathtaking. Even though perusing the books requires very high level contacts, I could have just sat in that room for hours, soaking up the essence of time!!

We also saw the National Treasury, where the crown jewels are on display, along with other significant historical items, such as a saber that actually belonged to Charlemagne! That is a lot of history represented in one place!!

Wien also has what I believe is the world's oldest ferris wheel. That was one of the fun things we tried to make sure our group got to see. The wheel still runs, and the "cars" are just that. Box cars. Well, box-car sized cabins really. They each can hold about 20 people, or you can pay extra (a lot extra) and some of them are set up with nice tables, and each time the wheel comes around, waiters in tuxes bring the next course of your meal! Cool, huh?

Wien is also known for its fine hotels, restaurants and cafes, so eating was very enjoyable. I ate a piece of Sacher Torte in sight of the Sacher Hotel, where the dessert was "invented" nearly 300 years ago. (the actual hotel is very expensive, so I didn't think I could afford to go inside.)

Sorry, here's the History teacher emerging. Did you know that one of Wien's most famous children was also responsible for the French's love of the croissant? Marie Antoinette was the youngest daughter of Maria Teresia, Empress of the Hapsburg empire. Marie was very fond of a pastry that had been baked in Vienna, sorry Wien, to commemorate the survival of the city when it was besieged by the Ottoman Turks. The Viennese bakers had heard strange sounds in the night, and alerted the guards, who discovered the Turks attempting to tunnel into the city. The Turks were held back long enough for a reinforcing army from Poland (part of the empire) to arrive. The bakers then created a pastry to remind the citizens of their victory, so they took a symbol which had been seen on the banners of their enemies......the crescent moon.

When Marie Antoinette was engaged to marry King Louis of France, french bakers celebrated the union by producing thousands of the new queen's favorite pastry from home. so ................

I really loved Wien. I look forward to going back, maybe sometime with Michelle, where we can just spend a whole week, just the two of us!

Back on the planet!

I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I have not been incarcerated, nor have I been in traction! No broken arms, legs, toes or fingers! I have just simply had time management issues. There, it's out there! When life gets hectic, the internet, e-mail, and even this blog are low enough on the priority totem pole that they get neglected.

My last post in May was at the beginning of the end. End of the school year to be exact. Several things developing were taking a significant amount of time, and so I was on the computer about once a week, just to get to e-mail.

I had several events for the German club, trying to end the school year off with some fun events, including some fundraising. We worked a pizza restaurant for a "Chris Allen watch party", on the night he won American Idol. It was fun, and wow! what a crazy loud crowd. We never slowed down, until the guests were nearly out the door. We had our Soccer-picnic with the other language clubs. (Yes! the German club gets to keep the trophy for one more year!)

I had some events for my group traveling to German this year, like meetings, car-wash fundraisers, some recruiting for the next tour, etc. Oh, wait. I guess I should also not forget that the end of school means grading projects; organizing, producing and grading tests, quizzes, and any last assignments, as well as dealing with those dozens of things that students bring in at the last minute in an effort to save a grade that was unimportant 2 weeks ago!

Then there are always the chicken houses to deal with. I have been trying to get any significant repairs done before the end of May, because I knew that Bob and Phyllis would be more comfortable with my trip to Germany in June, if the houses were ready to go. Several waterlines needed some minor work, lots of mowing and weed-trimming, one house needed new curtains. ( 100+ ft. long. rip-stop material, cable/pulley system to adjust temperatures in the houses), some screen needed replacing, and so on.

Then, with Church, I have been preparing for our Branch conference on June 14th, trying to get Justin along the process of missionary application, having several issues that required my presence in Newport and/ or Jonesboro on more than one occassion (Jonesboro is about 135 miles away), and so on.

June 16th-25th, Elizabeth and I got to go to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This was gearing up to be the highlight of my summer, if not year. I had a group of 13, so I got to take Elizabeth along as well. We had an amazing trip! I have never been to Vienna (Wien), so this was a fun new place for me to explore. The history is so rich and deep. I know, I know, only a history teacher or a history geek is going to get much excitement out of a library full of books dating back as early as 1501, or a saber belonging to CHARLEMAGNE! But I am what I am! History geek/teacher! IT WAS SOOOOO COOL!!!

Weather was not our friend, sending rain and cold temps for all but 2 of the days we were there, but it was not in any way a let down for me. We got to experience German Europe in such a great way! It will take me literally hours to get any of my pictures uploaded, but I will try. Our entire group had fun! I will fill another blog or two with more detailed trip experiences, but I was so glad that our group had a good time, we all got along (the entire bus load!), and there were no major mishaps to mar the journey.

Back to the real (not the "cyber-")world! The day after we got home, chicks were delivered for house 1, and today we got the other 3. Translation......Got home Thur. evening, worked in the chicken houses. Worked in chicken houses all weekend, and the cycle begins in earnest today!

Time to go put the babies to bed. I'll sing them a German lullaby, and tuck them all in. All 78,000:)

I AM BACK!!!

I wish it would rain some!

I have to say, I actually enjoy writing these posts. I know I can get somewhat long-winded at times, but I have fun putting some of these thoughts into print. If any of you get some enjoyment out of reading, that, to me, is just a bonus.

I know it is becoming somewhat of a cultural joke, that everyone, and sometimes even the dog write Blogs. Sometimes I think these attempts at "blogging" give me an idea what newspaper writers go through. You know, the ones who write the daily or weekly editorials, or personal interest columns. It might be fun, but I can sense how the pressure would build. I am not sure I could do that every day. Once a week, sure, but every day? On a deadline? "iffy"

As most of you reading know, Bakersfield CA, is not particularly wet. I think it actually illustrates my point when I say that some of my memories revolve around those few times when it wasn't. Like the time it rained so hard that College (street, road, BLVD, I forget) flooded right there by East High School, and a clogged storm drain meant that the last "dip" before the stoplight was flooded and cars were having to be floated across. we were on the way to Primary, as I recall. We must have stopped, because the thing that stands out most for me is nearly being pushed into the "pond" by an exuberent teenager jumping in to help push some cars over to the other side.

Then there was the storm that left Troy flooded when that car got washed under the train tracks. And everywhere else was flooded. I remember trudging along one street on our paper route. The water was streaming past about calf deep. Dad had allowed us (Cindy and me) to go over the cement at the intersection, but had instructed us to stay away from the sides of the road, since this road had no sidewalks. We were to throw the newspapers as far into the yards as possible, and if they floated away, leave them! Over the next 2 days, I remember how I felt seeing the huge trenches that had been cut where sidewalks would have been. One side was nearly 3 feet deep, and the other had cut away the edges of some of the yards!! People had used 4x4's and heavy plywood to span the cuts from their driveways, otherwise they were trapped.

I guess I hadn't seen "real" flooding, though, until we moved to Arkansas. The last 2 springs have been very wet. I keep reminding myself that by definition we live in a rain-forest. Last year, Feb-May was so wet that many levees broke, some areas had water running over dam spillways that had been dry for decades, and our river systems were flooded. I can't speak to "crest" measurements on most of the rivers, but let's just say that Batesville was on the other side of a "lake" where a cornfield existed. Water was up into the city park on the riverfront, which usually sits High and dry about 8-12 feet above normal river level. Other areas had houses washed away, the most striking image a picture of a 2 story house that had been swept off its foundation, and was pinned up against a bridge. Then the force of the water shredded the house and washed the debris under the bridge!!

Greer's Ferry Lake (my best indicator, because I go to the lake regularly in the summer) had crested at 28 feet above normal! Campgrounds and swimming areas were flooded into August, as the water took that long to recede. They could have allowed a bit faster drain off, but the communities built in the river bed downstream (don't get me started on That stupidity!), would have been washed out.

Well, this year has been about the same, with one significant change. We have had nearly the same amount of rain as last year, but the flood damage has been relatively low. We have had as much as 10 inches in some areas of the state, just for the month of May. Our area at Drasco has received about 7-8 inches this month. Lakes and rivers are high, but I have only heard of a couple of breaches, and minor flood damage stories. I hope the last year did not make me, or the community complacent.

We had some great stories of heroic saves, community and church groups coming together to help those displaced by floods, pet rescues, and an outpouring of support from church, civic and national groups.

We need to be reminded that we have to stick together and rely on each other, but mostly on our Heavenly Father. Not our government, but each other and God. To that end, I wish it would rain some!


PS There are other memories about Storms in Bakersfield, but those may be for another time.

Amazing bugs

Having one of those random types of conversations that take place when surrounded by teenagers, whether my own kids or my school kids, the topic turned one day this week to bugs. I am not necessarily a fan of bugs, but I don't usually freak out at the sight of bugs, which is good for Michelle and Elizabeth. They both go "buggy" when certain critters show up. Especially the eight-legged kind.

We have some amazing bugs in Arkansas. I could spend hours trying to name them all, but some of my "favorites" are the walking sticks (longest I've seen out here was nearly 18 inches long!) and the variety of moths. We have been seeing Luna moths lately, it is that time of year. They are the big, delicate green ones that can grow to the size of your hand. We have several other varieties that are equally impressive, but I don't know what they are called. I saw one yesterday that had the most beautiful black, red and yellow wings. Several shades of gray also made a beautiful eye-spot pattern, on wings that were EACH nearly the size of my hand!

Now I hear that Arkansas has also added giant Mexican "crab-ticks" to our list of amazing, Maybe even scary bugs. I won't go into what little I know of them. They showed up in a newspaper report about a year ago. And of course we have nearly every species of spider, fly roach, grasshopper, etc., that exist in North America. Arkansas is an equal opportunity residence for bugs.

This made me think, almost fondly, of some of my earlier, "freaky bugs" memories. Two that stand out from my childhood happened at Sierra Junior High. Family may remember them. The "scariest" one involved the biggest black widow I have ever seen. You remember the open building plan of Bakersfield schools, and the covered walks between class buildings ("hallways"). The drinking fountains at the end of the first wing of classrooms as you came off the ballfield is where I got the shock. I had bent down to get a drink, and movement over my head caught my eye. She looked to be about 1-11/2 inches across the body, (not including legs), just hanging there over the fountain, as if she were waiting for just the right moment to drop on some unsuspecting human victim. I would have tried to convince myself since then that I "enlarged" her in my memory, except for the reaction of the first adult we found. I don't remember if it was a teacher or a janitor, but I remember one adult saying to the next adult who showed up, "OMG, that is the biggest d..... widow I have ever seen! Where did she come from?!" My summer of the black widows at the fabric store, years later, made this memory even scarier when I learned how far these things can jump!

The other one happened on a warm spring day, and it involved those great big water roaches so common in Bakersfield. Those familiar with Sierra JHS may recall the Cafeteria building, and the way the "playground" sloped away from the building, with a couple of "ditches" off the corners, (out toward the bungalows). At the building end of this drainage was a small pipe opening. There was an old unused restroom on that corner, had been piled full of old gym equipment, and other useless junk. (I found this out later when one of our school clubs helped do a "service project" cleaning it out.)

One day, as lunch ended, just as kids started responding to the bell by moving toward the classroom buildings, something must have backed up in that restroom, or something. The small pipe that supposedly came off the roof drains, but apparently tied in to the restroom vent pipes somehow, came alive. A huge stream of water roaches came rushing out of that pipe, following the ditch out to the fence, which separated us from a huge field. This cut off the screaming students :) from the classroom buildings. There were thousands and thousands of them. It seemed like they streamed out for several minutes. Girls were screaming and running for the other side of the cafeteria, some of us crazy boys took to dancing our way back and forth across the mass, seeing how many we could stomp, until two boys (thankfully not me) had the misfortune of having some of these roaches run up their pant legs:) :). The rest of us decided we would pass on that fun, although we nearly passed out laughing at the other two.

I am not a huge fan of bugs, but they are amazing, and it is sometimes amazingly fun to watch the way different people react to them.