Pumpkin carving in the backyard.
And fun in the snow in the mountains.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Fall and Winter all in one weekend
It was a nice 65 degrees in the city but only 35 degrees on Sandia peak, which means we were able to enjoy the best of both seasons this weekend.
Pumpkin carving in the backyard.
And fun in the snow in the mountains.
Pumpkin carving in the backyard.
And fun in the snow in the mountains.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The World As Best As I Remember It
While looking for some music to enjoy during dish duty tonight I reached to the back of the CD drawer and pulled out an old Rich Mullins album. Brought back sweet memories of my first years as a Christian. I haven't followed Contemporary Christian Music for years, but I can't imagine it's gotten any better than this doctor of my soul.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Land of Enchantment
en·chant·ment: n. 1. The state of being frozen in fear when in the New Mexico desert
I dodged a large tarantula on the way to a meeting today. That's the 7th one I've seen this season. The camoflauge on it's back looked remarkably like a set of desert BDUs!
On a bike ride later in the day a large bull snake was sunning himself in the middle of the dirt road I was traveling. Bull snakes, I'm told, can be aggressively mean, and since I was far from my car I didn't want to pick a fight. With a rock wall on my left and a precipice on the right, my only option was to "calmly" walk around the tailside of his body with the bike between him and me. As I passed by he twitched at me but that was all, thankfully.
Just another day in New Mexico.
I dodged a large tarantula on the way to a meeting today. That's the 7th one I've seen this season. The camoflauge on it's back looked remarkably like a set of desert BDUs!
On a bike ride later in the day a large bull snake was sunning himself in the middle of the dirt road I was traveling. Bull snakes, I'm told, can be aggressively mean, and since I was far from my car I didn't want to pick a fight. With a rock wall on my left and a precipice on the right, my only option was to "calmly" walk around the tailside of his body with the bike between him and me. As I passed by he twitched at me but that was all, thankfully.
Just another day in New Mexico.
Overheard
On a long flight recently I had the window seat and two ladies had the middle and aisle seats. They didn't know each other but quickly struck up a conversation that turned surprisingly personal and to me, as a captive of the conversation, painful.
One lady was middle-aged and the other was nearing 70, as I recall her saying. The subject of their conversation turned to their children and then, surprisingly, it turned to their abortions--they had both had at least one. To my dismay here is what was said by the younger lady:
"I have no problems with the abortion. No nightmares, nothing. But the child I gave away that bothers me. Someday I'm going to look him up on Facebook or something. But the abortion didn't bother me at all. I've got to be happy!"
A sad statement about the brokenness and hard-heartedness that selfishness brings.
One lady was middle-aged and the other was nearing 70, as I recall her saying. The subject of their conversation turned to their children and then, surprisingly, it turned to their abortions--they had both had at least one. To my dismay here is what was said by the younger lady:
"I have no problems with the abortion. No nightmares, nothing. But the child I gave away that bothers me. Someday I'm going to look him up on Facebook or something. But the abortion didn't bother me at all. I've got to be happy!"
A sad statement about the brokenness and hard-heartedness that selfishness brings.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
McCall's Land and Cattle Company
Every fall we head to McCall's just east of the East Mountains.
A pumpkin a person.
Atop the tower of hay.
A forehead shot? Actually it's a fivehead.
If that last shot was corny, this one is really bad...
A pumpkin a person.
Atop the tower of hay.
A forehead shot? Actually it's a fivehead.
If that last shot was corny, this one is really bad...
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A Sane Woman’s Guide to Raising a Large Family
(briefly reviewed by Kristin)
“Mothering in general involves a certain amount of chaos.”… “The key is to find ways to deal with it…..”
This book is about organizing the chaos of life as a mother -- from toys to doing the laundry for a large family and parenting and family advice thrown in, too. I like how Mary shares openly about how they do things at their house – although some things I do not agree with her about (sleep issues for example).
Each child is a unique individual even in a large family –a gift from the Lord. Mary shares some great ideas for celebrating each child as a blessing to your family.
Think one child is troublesome and tiring? If you can’t stand your one child whining (or fill in the blank), you need to deal with the unacceptable behavior before you end up with 10 whining kids! And Mary shares some ideas for that too.
She also has advice for new moms. I recommend the Sane Woman’s Guide to you moms that are considering adding another to your family.
“Mothering in general involves a certain amount of chaos.”… “The key is to find ways to deal with it…..”
This book is about organizing the chaos of life as a mother -- from toys to doing the laundry for a large family and parenting and family advice thrown in, too. I like how Mary shares openly about how they do things at their house – although some things I do not agree with her about (sleep issues for example).
Each child is a unique individual even in a large family –a gift from the Lord. Mary shares some great ideas for celebrating each child as a blessing to your family.
Think one child is troublesome and tiring? If you can’t stand your one child whining (or fill in the blank), you need to deal with the unacceptable behavior before you end up with 10 whining kids! And Mary shares some ideas for that too.
She also has advice for new moms. I recommend the Sane Woman’s Guide to you moms that are considering adding another to your family.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Balloon Fiesta 2009
We had a great time at the Special Shapes Rodeo tonight.
Faith joined the Dark Side.
This year's Christmas Card photo?
Tweety and friends after dark.
THE BUS ride there and back was a huge time saver and the kids loved it. The Park & Ride is definitely the way to go!
Faith joined the Dark Side.
This year's Christmas Card photo?
Tweety and friends after dark.
THE BUS ride there and back was a huge time saver and the kids loved it. The Park & Ride is definitely the way to go!
Monday, October 05, 2009
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Witness to divorce
I went to the courthouse today to testify in an emergency custody hearing. The family court occupies a large part of the stately downtown county courthouse and is teeming with bustling attorneys and their bitter or broken clientele.
Perhaps most surprising to me was the upbeat, helpful court staff. I would have thought that dealing with such depressing domestic matters day after day would cast a thick gloom over the whole place, but I watched one needy or hardened person after another receive cheerful assistance from the waiting room clerk.
But the courtroom itself was a different feel altogether. The plaintiff and defendant, who you would never guess are actually husband and wife, sat shielded by their attorneys who exchanged meagre greetings and then shuffled papers waiting for the judge. The tension was palpable and even my pulse raced, waiting and hoping I wouldn't interfere with justice being done. Cruel lawyer games were played by the wife's attorney, apparently calculated to rile up the husband and cause doubt in the judge's mind about his parental fitness. The most intimate of relationships was mined for ammunition in a hideous, hellish, pitiless contest to destroy the husband and secure custody of the child.
I would say that the husband won the first round today, but there can be no winner in what I saw. I left the courtroom praying that my loved ones will never experience such a painful result of the Fall.
Perhaps most surprising to me was the upbeat, helpful court staff. I would have thought that dealing with such depressing domestic matters day after day would cast a thick gloom over the whole place, but I watched one needy or hardened person after another receive cheerful assistance from the waiting room clerk.
But the courtroom itself was a different feel altogether. The plaintiff and defendant, who you would never guess are actually husband and wife, sat shielded by their attorneys who exchanged meagre greetings and then shuffled papers waiting for the judge. The tension was palpable and even my pulse raced, waiting and hoping I wouldn't interfere with justice being done. Cruel lawyer games were played by the wife's attorney, apparently calculated to rile up the husband and cause doubt in the judge's mind about his parental fitness. The most intimate of relationships was mined for ammunition in a hideous, hellish, pitiless contest to destroy the husband and secure custody of the child.
I would say that the husband won the first round today, but there can be no winner in what I saw. I left the courtroom praying that my loved ones will never experience such a painful result of the Fall.
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