Wednesday, July 17, 2002


You'll find a photograph at the top of the page that came from our new camera. That's Jerusha, my little Tomgirl, with a discongruent barbie party-hat on her head. Couldn't let that one get away.
I spent the day yesterday cleaning sheds and writing on the processor, I got to water the lawn (well, actually about 1/3 of the lawn) and the garden with our allotment of two watering days a week. This drought is desiccating my little soul right into oblivion. What a summer of trials. I feel for those in places like Monticello who are having trouble with irrigation and culinary water, that has to be rough.
Yesterday was one of those days when the weight of leisure, present responsibility and need to prepare for future responsibility took turns pressing down upon my confused brain. Don't worry, I would need to write for another two hours to explain that statement, take it at whatever face value you apply to it. The point is that today my brain feels like a cotton ball. Gotta exercise the noodle.

Monday, July 15, 2002

Indeed, the camera came. What a blessing a camera is. Images and attendant feelings preserved like all-day suckers for you to pull out and lick every so often, whenever you feel like going back a little bit.

Unfortunately, the camera came after the big Maple Canyon trip with Marcus was over. I took a few shots with the old camera, but they are stuck in e-limbo since I spaced the transfer cable somewhere during the switchover to our new computer. They will appear at some point, the climbs were spectacular and Marcus gave me some really good coaching and flawless belaying. What a grand collection of rock and environments. On a 100 degree day, we climbed in 75 degree comfort in the company of ferns until at least one in the afternoon before moving on to another side canyon.

The weekend was strangely wearying, the kids keeping their amazing string of 10:00pm bedtimes up until Sunday eve. I hope this week brings with it some Balm of Gilead or something miraculous like that. We could use some good balm after the scorching sun of last week. Both literally and figuratively.

Thursday, July 11, 2002

Jesse and I headed up to Provo in the cool of the morning to fetch some Health Food Store merchandise and Sam's Club bulkage as well as get his glasses fixed again. We had lots of fun, finding along the way a giant (six by four inch) rubbery toy squirting spider, a glow in the dark Frisbee and a fine creek swimming hole by the road on the way home. Each time I go up to get the foodstuffs we can't get 'round here I am amazed by how much more it costs to keep this family in food. The kids are growing up fast and I can't seem to keep up with the financial requirement for the purchase of the foodstuffs. Kids grow up Fast.

We found some snails, waterskeeters, butterflies, nymphs, damselflies, egg sacks, dryads (just kidding) and lots of beetles in the creek. Jesse was so happy to have a new habitat to explore all by himself. He loves bugs as much as any kid I've ever known.

Tomorrow the new camera should come. I'll incorporate a new gallery into the site with the resulting photos. Whewhoo!

Hope the rest of your day is swell.

Tuesday, July 9, 2002

Heat and Drought. Here in the high desert, there are no rain clouds, out here we is dry- immaculate. Name the pop-reference? Jim Morrison, American Prayer.

The current youngest in the house is getting the first tastes of his pending replacement as the youngest, having to reduce by small increments his dependence on Mom and get even more used to Dad. He has always liked me, but his preference has always been and will probably remain his Mom. Lo, things in a house full of children never achieve stasis, so we will continue to at least strive for balance.

'Til tomorrow or something...

Sunday, July 7, 2002

It’s the last day of the weekend, and this has been an interesting one for sure. Yesterday we headed into the abyss of truth and consequences, putting the edge on a hunch we have been nursing for a couple of weeks.

The pregnancy test read positive- we were stunned into the turmoil of silent acceptance. What might be, indeed were we balanced and at all secure in our situation ‘should’ be, a joyous occasion was a somber and frightening one. Drie and I are so stretched in all areas of life right now, especially in physical resource and parenting energy, the prospect of one more wee bern is absolutely terrifying. Yesterday was a day of dealing with some very close issues while completely ignoring others too powerful to fit into a tight schedule right this minute.

What else is up? Just a month of recoup, a July of ‘come what may’ optimism to prepare for the changes ahead. Changes in job, in family and whatever may come in the days ahead.

Thursday, July 4, 2002

A warm day here in my part of America, and I am glad to be here at home with my family. Holidays are Holy Days, and what is holier than the opportunity to be at home and grateful to have a family and enough money for pancakes and bacon for breakfast. The neigbors invited us over for a barbeque, so I got to cook the meat and eat some more blessed carnage. I do love to eat meat on Holidays. What's up with that? Perhaps it is comfort food to me.

I packed up and moved most of my personal belongings at the school yesterday. That was rough, it is the final blow; no going back now, the efforts of two years to build a program are all in boxes in the shed now. In some squishy and naiive part of my heart I still held out hope that someone would come to their senses and beg me to come back next year and continue the post I had cultivated and the space we had created. I think that has finally gone away.

Wonderful little consolation though, I happened upon an old '75 Honda CB200 with nine hundred original miles on it. I cleaned it all up yesterday, it is really sharp looking, the downside of this is the solid varnish inside the carbeurators from sitting for at least twentysix years sitting in a shed. Took them apart, gonna need some professional help so as I don't bust something. But it sure is neat, will be great when I'm done.

Gotten back in touch with some splendid old friends lately. That is a great part of life. I am very grateful for this new black box under my desk.

Not much else going on. Happy Fourth.

Tuesday, July 2, 2002

Just visited Ryan MacEgan's page for the first time in way too long, found a picture of our family from last winter.

Monday, July 1, 2002

It’s Monday. A special day, the day we recover from Sunday. The Troops of Summer were back in force this morning, acting quite surprised that there are only two more days remaining in this summer school session. “Three (now two) days??? What then? How will we turn in our work?” Oh, nights of fire and five other jests! The mind of a High School Scholar is a mystery indeed. As if I haven’t been (each day, mind you) telling them that the end was soon in coming and to keep up with the workload to avoid a cram at the end. I have mentioned this week by name, “The Last Three Days Week.” It comes inevitably, every semester, every summer session. Perhaps I shall find the magic key of anti-procrastination some day.

Until then, I will put off re-wiring the house, remodeling the bathroom and finishing our upstairs bedroom.

Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. (Thus sayeth the preacher.)



Here's one in a line of interesting legislation to come out of Washington this year.

Read it and let it settle down to your toenails, then let me know what you think. (Twenty years in the pen for mucking about with or exploring a document/data device that contains your own bio-metric data and personal information? To me this is only a minor infraction of our rights compared to much bludgeoning of the Tenth Amendment and others with the rest of this far-reaching and intentionally ambiguous piece of proposed federal legislation.)

Read on about our lawmaker’s efforts if you'd like. Be involved.