HOT Pics From The Chocolate Bonfire!

Click here to visit a slideshow I made with pictures I took the evening/night of the Chocolate Bonfire. You'll probably have to install a small browser plug-in to view the file, but it's not big deal. Try and view it in Internet Explorer if possible too. It doesn't seem to work with Opera on my computer, but I haven't tried Firefox yet. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. :)

Life At The Farm

Well, I went up to the farm yesterday, to visit Monica and family, and to see how Kim was doing. She's not doing well, and probably doesn't have a lot of time left to her, but she was happy to see all of her family and friends gathered together in one place. She can be at peace now, knowing that everyone is okay, and that we all love her.

Anyway, to keep the mood a little lighter, here are a couple pictures I took yesterday. Enjoy.

Fruit and Veg!

Over to the right you will see a slideshow of my Flickr photos. The first few are some pictures I took this afternoon. They are of some of the fruit trees and vegetables that are growing in our yard. Some of the trees we planted last year, some of the trees were already in the yard, and the vegetables were planted this year. For fruit we have apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and a fig tree (and wild blackberries); and for vegetables we have corn, cabbage, squash, tomatoes, onions, (a lettuce remnant from last year), and maybe some beans, if they ever come up. If everything does well, we'll have some delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, most of it this year, some in the future. It will almost be a shame to leave this place some day, because of all the good stuff we'll be leaving behind. But with luck, Dad will still own this place, and we'll still be able to sample its bounty! ;)

Word Of The Day

Gallimaufry (gal-uh-MAW-free) noun -

a jumble or medley; a hodgepodge.

The Urban Jungle

Here are some pictures I just took of the kittens playing in their "urban jungle" (the chaotic world of our screened-in back porch.) We still need to find homes for them all, so if you know of anyone who wants a kitten, please let me know! Thanks, and enjoy. :-) 

I have given the kittens names, so I can call them something when I talk to them. Obviously if anyone takes a kitten, they're welcome to change its name, because they really don't understand them yet anyway. :-) At any rate, here they are, in all their fur-clad glory!




"The Urban Jungle" - Shadow I



"The Urban Jungle" - Shadow II



"The Urban Jungle" - Shadow III



"The Urban Jungle" - Domino I



"The Urban Jungle" - Domino II



"The Urban Jungle" - Patches I



"The Urban Jungle" - Patches II



 "The Urban Jungle" - Patches III



"The Urban Jungle" - Socks I



"The Urban Jungle" - Socks II



"The Urban Jungle" - Socks III



"The Urban Jungle" - Socks IV

From Bad To Worse

First off, I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to those of you have donated money since the chocolate bonfire. As Clare mentioned on her blog, over $3,000 was raised/donated. I have opened up a new savings account, and have deposited the money in the bank. It will only be used when absolutely necessary, and then only for bills we fall short of being able to pay (because it might only be me working soon), and for gas money for Monica as she travels back and forth from her mom's. She might be staying up there more often from now on though, because Kim dislocated her shoulder last night, and that has added a new complication to her already insurmountable problems. So Monica left work this afternoon, not knowing when she would return.

The prognosis for Kim is not favorable, to say the least. She's hanging in there, but with this knew problem, it's going to be that much harder for her. Adding to the stress, one of Kim's sisters, Monica's Aunt Carol, recently had a heart attack, and had to be taken back to the hospital a day or so ago for more surgery. So Monica has that on her mind too...the fact that she could lose her mom AND an aunt! Needless to say, she's barely keeping it together, and then only with the help of doctor prescribed medication. Neither Monica nor I are really "pill poppers," but the stuff she's on has been a great help, and has acted to take the edge off the pain and despair.

Well, that's about it for now. Please continue to keep Kim (and now Carol) in your prayers, as well as Monica as she shuttles back and forth between home and her mom, and tries to maintain her tenuous grip on sanity.

Word Of The Day

Fugacious (fyoo-GAY-shəs) adjective -

1. fleeting, transitory.
2. difficult to capture.

An Awesome Movie!

I just finished watching Mel Gibson's Apocalypto. What an AMAZING movie! The scenery was incredible, the story line gripping...that's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! Now, before you rush out to the video store to rent it, I must warn you...it is EXTREMELY graphic! Those of you who have seen Mel Gibson's The Passion Of Christ know that he doesn't pull many (or any) punches when it comes to film making. He has a way he wants to tell the story, and he sticks to it, and his scenes typically involve intense human interactions that can be disturbing to some viewers (especially younger kids. I would definitely not recommend letting anyone young and impressionable watch Apocalypto, because in addition to lots of half-naked natives, there is a LOT of blood and gore in this movie!) Still, Gibson portrays the characters in a reasonably historic manner, and such was the way of the world in that time and place. So if you don't have a weak stomach, and can handle the intensity of the film, I whole heartedly recommend that you check out Apocalypto.

There are some really cool scenes in the movie, and some extremely interesting presentation of primitive skills. I'm not sure they were all accurate, but they're pretty amazing. One scene in particular stands out in my mind. The main character's wife and son are trapped in a hole in the ground, and the boy gets injured by a rock that one of the "bad guys" tosses into the whole. He  ends up with a long, bleeding gash on his shin. There are some fairly large, and apparently rather vicious ants crawling around on the ground nearby, and his mother picks a few of these up, one at a time, and presses them against the wound. The ants, naturally taking the offensive, bite into the boy's leg with their large mandibles, piercing the skin on either side of the wound and "stitching" it together as the jaws close. Then the mother squeezes the ant behind the head, severing it from the body, and leaving the head pinching part of the wound closed. She does this several times, and effectively stitches the wound closed. It's kind of creepy, and painful to watch, yet at the same time it's fascinating and amazing. I'm not sure if it would really work, but if it's true, it's a pretty amazing application of primitive knowledge and medical skills!

So check the movie out for yourself (or maybe stop by for a visit and you can watch it here!) And if anyone who's actually reading this blog of mine has any movie recommendations of their own, I'd love to hear them. I'm always up for a good movie! :)  Take care all, and have a great weekend. Peace.

Word Of The Day

Elenchus (i-leng-kuhs) noun - 

a logical argument that refutes another argument by proving the contrary of its conclusion.

New Kitten Pictures

I took these last night. Cute little buggers! :)
















 

Word Of The Day

Dandle (dan-dl) verb -

dance (a child) in one's arms or on one's knees.

Bonfire Pictures

Okay, it's been a few days since I've posted anything, so I decided to go through some of the pictures I took at the bonfire last weekend. I'll put a few of them online. Monica and I want to send our deepest and most sincere gratitude and thanks to everyone who donated money, especially since many of you don't even know us! It will be very helpful over the next couple of months as Monica tries to spend as much time with her mom as possible, and could end up taking more and more time off work. Thank you once again, from the bottom of our hearts!

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from Saturday's festivities. I don't have pictures of everyone, and obviously these pictures feature Jack and Esme more than anyone else (hey, they are my nephew and niece, and I don't get to see them very often!)  but I hope you like my small selection of pictures. I'll post some more as I go through and edit the more interesting ones. So thanks again, and enjoy.