Rules

The following are the rules for the International Dibs System as defined by teenage males.

Shotgun will reserve you the passenger front seat for the immediate trip in said vehicle.

Dibs can override shotgun and is commonly used to reserve the Thai leftovers in the frig for your lunch the next day. That is if there are leftovers.

Yoink outranks dibs ~ since when something has been yoinked it is usually food and quickly enters your mouth. Yoink can also apply to non food items as in ~ it was yours but now it is mine.
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Feast of Brigid

What: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading

When: Anytime February 2, 2009

Where: Your Blog

Why: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid

How: Select a poem you like by a favorite poet or one of your own to post on February 2nd.

History: On February 1st or February 2nd, Brigid is celebrated at the Gaelic festival of Imbolc, when she brings the first stirrings of spring to the land. Brigid is described as a woman of poetry and poets worshiped her. She was also know as a woman of healing.

This day is also marked by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians and some Anglicans as the Feast of Saint Brigid; the festival is also know as Candlemas and Purification of the Virgin.
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Image is of Brigid of Kildare born 453 died 524
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Happy Birthday Grandpa Wink

A million words cannot do justice to the things I wish to say to you. I love you, I cherish you, I honor you and I thank you.

Grandparents hold a special place in the hearts of their grandchildren. Always know that my heart fills with joy when the thoughts of you enter my mind. Quiet memories of my childhood drift in with the flowing tide. Memories of milk cows, kittens, horse rides and mini bike riding lessons ~ gone some how to the dogs. Annie Annie Over played over the garage. The snow filled lane at Christmas time. The fire flies in the yard on dark summer nights. The smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen drifting to the upstairs rooms. The hugs hello and the see you later hugs as we would pile into the car for the drive North to home.

North to home now sometimes feels like a million miles away. Jupiter might as well be home when it comes to the space and distance between grandfather and granddaughter.

Love can bridge the gap and can put two hearts in the same room. Feel my hug and warm kiss on your cheek. I love you! I cherish all the times I get to be in your presents. It will be like we were never apart.

Until we see each other again.
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Man of My Word

When I was young and living in a coma, I was not the man of my word that I have grown to become. Youth and grand intentions do not always blend. A persons reputation is built on others knowledge that you are someone who will follow through. It is important to have the wisdom to know when you have reached this age of recognition. The age of follow through. The age of man and his word. The firm truthful handshake of sincerity and honesty. The hand shake of follow through.

It is my hope that my sons will reach this age years before I did, so that they will have a head start on being that man of his word.
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Weather Update

Back in the deep freeze... - 33 F (- 36 C) rumor has it this is to last the week perhaps longer. Grrrrr! On the bright side the amount of possible sun light has increased by leaps and bounds. Sunrise today 9:48 a.m. Sunset will be at 4:21 p.m. with a gain of seven minutes tomorrow.
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Coffee

The coffee is better this morning. I let the water get 'hottier' and put more beans in to be ground. It only took three days this time to get it rightish, so by tomorrow my cup of joe will be just right. This does not mean that I miss my husband, the worlds best coffee and breakfast preparer, any less. It just means I will no long have to be deprived of the right amount of my daily caffeine intake.

Life's simple pleasures ~ good coffee and a slow start to the day enjoying said coffee.

Here's to a great morning for everyone.
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Its Dark In Here

Wow it's dark in here. Wow now it's to bright! "Kari like Carrie with a K instead of a C and an ahw instead of an au, one R instead of two and I instead of an IE".

My other alter personality from the Incredibles ~ Jack Jack Attack~ Kari the baby sitter.

Soon the dark will be gone and the light will prevail. Long live the daylight and the adventures of Kenny and Kari!

Thank you CJ for the idea, Emily too, watching the Incrdibles was a good choice for a quiet evening and made my night much more enjoyable.

So Far Away

Your so far away from me. I cannot wait till it is my turn to be there enjoying the warm sun and desert scenes.

Anything

Anything, any thought, any word, yet nothing comes to mind. Is there anything that I would or would not do? Yes. No. Yes. No. Back and forth the body and the heart fight over that anything. Life is flowing by and here I am on the ground while you are up there in the air. The rush to be floated is intriguing. To feel those few moments of weightlessness, breathless and overflowing with pure pleasure. I will stay my course, my heading is true. My time will come.

Separation

To be separated from someone that you care about can be a challenge. There is the wandering around the house wondering what to do. The time spent catching up on those projects you were just waiting for the right time to complete. Then there is that time, just time, spent in that blank stair into the abyss.

When there are young children to care for time can pass quicker. Teenage persons, however, do not require as much time just your presence, and the care taking mostly consists of food and a stocked refrigerator for the house to be happy, leaving you with time. Time, that great commodity, when we have little of it, is in high demand. When we have more than you are use to, well there is always that abyss thing to turn towards.

The husband is on an adventure for a few weeks and I will have the bed to share only with the cat. Whom by the way is elderly and requires a lot of space to stretch out and to be under the covers for the heat, no matter how many humans are in the bed. I will have to make my own coffee in the mornings, which always takes me several days of practice to get back into the swing of producing a good tasting cup of joe. Then there is the lonely factor, the conversation and sharing will now have to be conducted via the telephone and we all know just how I love long distant phone conversations. The expressions and the body language required in my story telling just does not convey well over the phone.

The weeks should pass well enough and I am thankful that I am speaking of weeks and not months. My heart and prayers go out to those family's who are separated due to their military duty. Thank you for your sacrifice past and present.

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Shadow

A shadow that envelops. A shadow that consumes. A shadow to send a warning. When the clouds block out the sun there is not only the absence of light but of shadow. Most of us fear the shadow.

Without a shadow do we know that we exist? We can look down and see our hands and arms, we see our feet and legs and yet we cannot see the whole of our person.

A shadow to know that I exist. I have been waiting so very long for your return.

May you enjoy your day of casting shadows.

Glory

10:05 a.m. on a glorious Alaska morning. My folks are reporting +42 degrees Fahrenheit at their home in the valley by the river.
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Another Warm Day

Another warm day in the good ol' home town as the chinook blew through.
The sun did make an appearance and encouraging shadows were cast.
Creating giggles and laughter.
The days are starting to gain more of the suns power
and lengthening into what will become endless summer nights... bring it on.
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Heat Wave

Temperature +30 F
Dewpoint +25 F
Altimeter 2938

Putting the parka back in the closet!

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Sun Tracking ~ Still

Another photo of Fata Morgana over Woodriver Butte

January 7, 2009
Above photos taken at 11:15 a.m.
The thick icefog is caused by a temperature
inversion that holds the town hostage.

Sunrise Thurday January 8, 2009

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Saga

The saga continues, I have received the next two books in the Twilight saga. I am two days into the book Eclipse, and there is nothing else in the evening that has gotten accomplished. Reading is all that I can muster up to do. I must finish the saga... I have to know how this all works out in the end. Good thing I have a three day weekend and the husband has to attend recurrent training for three days. The boys will surely find something to do, which means I am free to read, read, read.

CJ: I will keep you posted on my progress.
Chris: I am not sure if you ever pass by this blog ~ if you do know that I have enjoyed listening to the Twilight movie soundtrack you posted. Thanks.
Tinks: Thank you for the books.

Icefog

Thick icefog covered the valley below for most of the day. It cleared off some at 2:00 p.m. to expose the tree tops below. Glad to be back at work to be able to see the sun. If I was at home today I would be in the fog soup.
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A Dollar

"I will give you a dollar if you can jump up and hit your head on the ceiling!" the older brother asked his younger brother on cold dark winter break afternoon. "Sure", was the younger brothers response.

They were so out of their minds with the lethargy that this sounded like a good idea. Now granted the younger brother is tall and the ceiling is closer to him then the rest of us, but this task still was a challenge. He rose to the occasion and jumped ~ hit his head and collected his dollar. The kicker is that I did not have the camera out to video document the event so I asked him to do it again... for Mom he again jumped up and hit his head on the ceiling.

The person to laugh the hardest at this next moment in greatness will be Uncle John...

"I will give you a dollar if you let me shoot that gram cracker you are eating with my air soft b-b gun".

School starts back up tomorrow for the younger brother and classes start on January 22, for the oldest brother. I think we are going to survive another long Christmas break.

Weather forecast today: highs from -30 to -50 F with dense icefog in the valley (the entire town is in the valley).

Forecast tomorrow: highs from -30 to -50 F with dense icefog in the valley. I think that the weather man too has given up.

Stay warm and safe...

Once

Once I was young and knee high, once naive and unknowing, trusting all that could be imagined. Once I believed in the wonder. Greatness could be summoned to aid the honorable. Once I was brave as a lioness. It is my children who now possess these wondrous qualities.

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The Almost Kiss

The quickening of breath, the lips hovering, tense, ready. The quick inhale as you pull away.

What might have been never will be.

Can we leave behind that which we never held?

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