Yet MORE Hoar Frost Pictures ...

74

As 2007 draws to a close,

we say a heartfelt farewell to the

74th soldier to die in Afghanistan.

Gunner Jonathan Dion age 27.

Lest We Forget

Today in Minnedosa ...

This morning I went for a bit of a walk about town ... it's my worship activity now that I've been sidelined by the Church ...

As I walked I thought of a poem by liturgical poet Ann Weems that contains the line: "If I could I would paint for you a rainbow ..." The poem speaks of ALL the colours and the beauty and wishes for the listener THAT gift ...

I wish there was some way I could put into words the absolutely breath-taking beauty of the hoar frost and the light snow that fell last night ... even as beautiful as my photos are, they simply DO NOT DO JUSTICE to the scenery around me ... I am constantly left in awe by the beauty that comes from the soft whiteness of the snow, the deep blue of the prairie sky and the play of light and shadow ... I have snapped over 100 pictures in the last 24 hours ... and I could easily have take 100s more ...

It's THAT beautiful ... I wish I could share the vivid beauty that is ALL AROUND us today ... It was summed up by the comment of a neighbour I passed along the way who watched me snap a picture and said - "Can't buy a post card that is THAT beautiful can you??"

I answered "NO, but it is a gift from God isn't it ??"

In the next block I had another neighbour stop me and thank me for taking pictures of the frost. She was thrilled someone was recording the vistas that we could so easily take for granted ... So for those of you from far and wide, those of you who are enduring gray and drab days ... come for a little walk with me and enjoy some of the scenes I've enjoyed recently ... It might NOT be a rainbow, but it is pretty impressive nonetheless:

Hoar Frost Close Ups

More Hoar Frost

A Modern Techno-weinie

(photo by Ms H.)

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One of the most popular Christmas presents this year was a new computer given to all of us from Grandma A ... the delight was audible and LOUD on Christmas morning when Beetle and Ms H snuck down stairs and found it sitting on the desk in the living room ... now it has offered a new and unexpected chapter in our lives ...

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Eight year old Beetle has discovered the world of email ... and now MUST check her email several times a day (can't even IMAGINE where she gets THAT from ...). The most delightful aspect of this though, has been the emails she has been sending:

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To Mommy on Christmas Day:

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mommy can Ms h. be grounded cause she called me a jeark.

Can I have a sleepover with L---- on Boxing Day.

pleeeeeeeeease pritty pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

b
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To me on Christmas Day after she opened her Gift Certificate for dinner and a movie in Brandon:

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For that thing can we go to a fancy restaraunt? What movie are we going to see?

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Then today while I was working on my laptop, not six feet from her on the desktop computer, I recieved this email:

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can we go to a susie place love b

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(susie = sushi)

She REALLY wants to get our evening out planned ... and emails are her chosen means ... I look forward to more, even if they are originating across the living room ...

Guest Blogger ... Christmas Pics by Ms H.

Tonight I'm pleased to present some pictures by the newest photographer in our family ... gone are the days of developing a roll of film to discover a half a dozen snaps of floors, walls and the surprised eyes of the wanna-be photog looking into the lens while pressing the big silver button while trying "to see what it does" ...

I confess to being thankful for the "delete" feature on her new digital camera - otherwise we'd already be developing several HUNDRED photos that were snapped on Christmas Day ( the massive file on the new computer is bad enough ...).

Some of her pictures are just plain sweet ... so, with no further ado, I offer some selections from the portfolio of Ms H's photographic undertaking ... in this posting are pictures she took of ALL of us as we enjoyed a peaceful Christmas Day ...

A Feline Study by Ms. H.

Ms H's new digital camera has had a real work out since Christmas morning ... for your viewing pleasure I offer some pictures she's snapped of our feline family members:
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Good Families Don't ... or do they ??

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In the midst of the wall to wall to wall coverage of the death of Benazir Bhutto, there was one news item I found online that really stood out ... I won't even begin to describe the content, but rather leave you to infer what the article is about by testing your knowledge of Canadian Childrens' Literature ...
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When Robert Munsch authored the book pictured above it raised quite the stink ... if you're familiar with the controversy or the book you'll get it ... SO ... click here to read the article that caught my attention today ... and be warned, it's NOT a story for everyone ... but if you're courageous enough you may find out once and for all what science says about whether good families do or don't ...
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In the meantime, take note of the difference between the two book covers ... the one above is the current cover, the one below is a previous incarnation ... I don't wonder why ...
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Real Heroes and Role Models ...

Yesterday I mused on the public implosion of young "stars" with names like Britanny, Jamie Lynn and Paris ... Today my kids are plopped in front of the TV watching a Hannah Montana Marathon on Family Channel ...

This morning as I reviewed the comments left on my posting yesterday I got thinking about the Heroes and Role Models we offer our children and each other. I don't expect people to be without flaws and faults, but as the parent of three young people who possess a strong ethic and an even stronger understanding of what's right and wrong, I readily admit to some concern about the role models they chose to emulate as teens and pre-teens will.

After watching a number of interviews with Miley Cyrus (who plays Hannah Montana), and having read enough about her "private" life, I am more comfortable with my girls holding her up as a role model than some of the others in the Disney stable ... any 15 year old star who still gets grounded by her mother is still living in the realm of being a real person.

BUT, having said that, I also admit to the reality that Katie B named in her comment yesterday - the celebrities are no different from the rest of us ... and anyone living under the unrelenting criticism and scrutiny of the media machine fueled by the tabloids (both print and video), is sure to fail ... I feel only sympathy for the likes of Britanny, Jamie, Paris and the other party girls who have seemingly spun out of control ... I have no doubt they are beautiful young women who have simply wilted under the scorching glare of a public desperate to pick fault with the beautiful people ...

I remember a First Nations elder in Bella Coola likening human behaviour to a plastic ice cream bucket full of crabs ... he said when one of the crabs begins to crawl over the edge of the bucket the others haul him down ... "we're like that," He observed, "when one of of us gets successful or begins to stand out, the others pull him back down ... we can't let someone achieve without picking fault and pulling them down to make ourselves feel better ..."

Sadly though, we don't make ourselves feel nor look any better by watching the implosion of such lives through our tabloid media or through our malicious gossip ... instead of dealing with the issues in our own lives we can gain momentary freedom by thinking we will feel better through the comparison to such "faulty" celebrities ...

The real issue then becomes - given the frailty of humanity and our inherent propensity to trip ourselves up, who will we hold up as heroes and role models when those held up by the media fail so miserably ... A year ago this week the kids and I were back in Ontario where for the first time as a family we stood before the granite panel where my father's name is etched as a memorial to his death on duty as an Ontario Provincial Police Officer. The Memorial itself has the reminder that Dad and the other fallen officers were heroes in life, not death ...

Thinking back on our trip, and considering the tabloid horror show that continues to unfold around us, I have in recent days found myself pondering what should constitute a hero for the modern era. There are many we can look up to as heroes providing first and foremost we continue to allow them to be the wonderful humans they are ... As I further thought about this I realized that in the days before Christmas I found encountered three people in town that I hold up as personal heroes:

One is a young man who has encountered challenge after challenge ... he walks with a laboured gait, and has received numerous rounds of assistance and help for challenges he faces in his young life ... my journey with him and his family began not long after I arrived in town and was asked to preside at the marriage of his uncle ... along the way we've said good bye to his Grandparents,AND most importantly heralded the announcement of his mother's pregnancy and his subsequent birth. His arrival was not without its issues, but no matter what life has thrown his way, with a sweet smile and a gentle yet steely will, he has wrestled with and overcome each challenge.

His life may never be easy, and he may always struggle with things but last week at the school Christmas Concert watching him step up to the microphone and speak his part brought tears to my eyes because I know what his young life has struggled with ... he may be a child - but he is definitately one of my heroes.

My second hero is a young man who offers an easy grin and a nonchalant shrug when you ask him "how are you?" ... His journey in life took an unexpected turn when serving in Afghanistan he became a victim of a suicide bomber. The damage to his body, mind and soul was enormous, but his will to live was stronger still.

His journey of recovery continues ... but along the way the love and support of his family, and the steely will he's shown over and over fills me with an overwhelming sense of awe. I feel privileged and honoured to know him, and to have been welcomed in by his family as they've made the long journey back from a horrible afternoon in Afghanistan ... He too is one of my personal heroes ...

My third hero is an aged warrior who once served on the battlefields of Europe in the Tank Corps. He returned home with a new bride and together they raised a family and ran a farm. I've known him as a retired gentleman with an easy wit and a quiet intensity and determination.

I look back with fondness on the times I've been able to have extended conversations with both he and his wife. We've talked of many things, but our conversations about his experiences in the war loom large in my recollections. But his comment to me the day he and his wife returned to Minnedosa from the west in early 2006 stands out for me ...

They had been away when the Church fire happened ... he was sitting in his truck behind the Credit Union, to his right was a vacant lot where the Church once stood ... he opened truck door and looked at me with a stern face and said: "I go away for a few weeks and trust you to look after MY church and YOU let this happen ..." his head motions to where the church once stood, "NICE JOB !!!"

There were tears in BOTH our eyes as a small smile curled the corner of his mouth and he began to share with me what the loss of the building meant to him ... Since then he has remained a steadfast friend and an bending support ... His wisdom and counsel has been valued and cherished, particularly in the darkest moments ...

For me - these three rank highly in my list of heroes and role models ... each of them have their faults and have, and will continue to make mistakes ... but what makes them stand out is the strength they bring to the challenges life has thrown their way ... the steely will they exhibit when life has taken a turn is breath-taking ... and the gentle humour and wit they offer throughout life is an inspiration ... and so it is for that reason that I believe that they deserve to be heroes ...

Too bad our media can't see the countless heroes that live around each and every one of us ... ordinary people who live ordinary, yet extra-ordinary lives ...

Maybe if each of us start heralding the heroes we encounter day by day, then maybe the media will stop chewing up and spitting out people who are ordinary people swept away by extra-ordinary circumstances ...

Maybe one day ... but maybe, just maybe the process has to start with each of us ...

Poor Paris ...

Gee, poor little rich girl Paris Hilton has had a bad year ... her conviction for drinking and driving, and subsequent "jail" time, followed by a rough ride in the media ... and NOW her Grandfather has decided to give 97% of his fortune (estimated to be close to $2.3 BILLION) to a family foundation aimed at bettering the lives of the less fortunate.

Now she really has reason to cry ... she may have to work for her money like the rest of us ... she may have to actually rely on her talents and abilities rather than sipping from the champagne flutes and silver platters she's been used to ... she may find out the world isn't some big unending party ...

Betch'ya she's not thinking Grandpa's decision is "hot" ...

Poor Paris ... welcome to the real world ...

And then just for good measure toss in the latest installment of the continuing nightmare that is the Spears Family Diary with 16 year old Jamie announcing her pregnancy and you've had a damned fine week for celebrities ... I can't help but think the blogger who said - "somewhere in Arkansas there is another family watching the implosion of the Spears girls and are saying "Dangit, we could be celebrities if we was pretty ..." may not be far from the truth ...

Maybe there is a profound lesson in ALL of this for the rest of us ... I wonder if we'll ever realize our so called "Stars" and the life styles they represent are incredibly shallow ...

Maybe one day ...

We Can't Let Fear Prevail ...

Benazir Bhutto

1953 to 2007

Comedian Bill Hicks in one of his routines observed (rightly) that in our world we keep watching the good ones get killed while the evil ones still walk around ... Gandhi, King, Kennedy, Romero, and Malcolm X are gone, while guys like Reagan are wounded ...

Now today we learn that former and perhaps future Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated ...

Bill Hicks ended every routine with a call for humanity to see things through the eyes of love rather than the eyes of fear ... Today is looks like fear has once again flexed its muscle ...

We can not let fear prevail not today - not ever ...

Our Feline Family ...

The Old Matriarch Chloe.

The old boy Diesel

The one who simply defies words:

Chrysanthemum

(she IS Ms H's kitty - they are kindred spirits!!!)

Be careful what you pray for ...

This week we've watch the dvd of Evan Almighty a couple of times.

It's not a great movie. It's goofy, silly and kinda cheesy. But the message it carries is a good one, and the computer generated effects and the what they did with the animals is worth the proverbial price of admission.

The message of transformation that underlies it all is one modern society needs to heed.

I think though, the crucial scene in the movie is the one below. It is where Joan (Evan's wife) meets God (played by Morgan Freeman) and God offers a profound theological reflection about the New York Noah, as Evan has been called by the tabloids. God offers the opportunity for Joan (and others) to see the challenge that Evan offers by his odd behaviour as an opportunity for a greater good.

BUT, what I most like about the movie is the challenge it offers to ALL OF US to live our principles and values - and to change the world by building our own ARKs ...



ARK ??

Acts of Random Kindness !!!

Now, let's get out there and build our own personal ARKs today, tomorrow and every day !!!

YES !!! My Prezzies ...

I'm the first to cry that Christmas is way way way too commercial, and to remind myself and others that it isn't the presents, the food, the booze or any of the other things often associated with this time of year in our society ... (seriously, why when I popped into the liquor store yesterday were to grab a bottle of wine for dinner tonight - a single BOTTLE - did I see SO many people heavily laden with purchases of OBSCENE amounts of alcohol??? When the birthday of the Prince of Peace become a sodden HOLY DAY ????) ...

But today I am feeling quite content with the gifting that has happened here today ... it was a low key Christmas with few gifts, but the ones that were given had deeper meaning because they were from the heart ...

The highlights from my gift list include:

- The Fawlty Towers DVD !!!

- two sets of Coltrane CD's - SEVEN complete albums in total !!!

- a bottle of Cat Pee on a Goose Berry Bush white wine, (How can you NOT love the name ??)

- a new set of PJs

- a very large dark chocolate Toblerone bar (from H - to go with the wine)

- this year's Wizard of Oz Ornaments from Hallmark (after 15 years, the collection is getting QUITE large)

- the dancing gopher from the movie "Caddyshack" who grooves to "I'm alright"

and best of all:

- the quiet satisfaction of three children who were thrilled with the gifts they got from family, friends, and the Jolly Old Elf himself ... and who contently playing with thier new toys ...

Christmas With Bob and Doug ...

The other day over at "I Can Fly, Just Not Up" Candy Girl Flies offered Bob and Doug McKenzie, of SCTV fame singing their incomperable "Twelve Days of Christmas"as her Canadian Content for the season.

Inspired by her musical selection I offer this clip of the two hosers making preparations for Christmas Day ... It's not even CLOSE to being PC ... but it still makes me laugh ...

Take Off, and have a Merry Christmas, eh?!?! You hoser !!

This Morning ...

Last night we sat in front of the tv and watched the DVD of A Christmas Carol starring Alister Sims ... the original black & white version of course ... the children we actually in bed by 10pm leaving the house quiet ...

The first footsteps were heard at 1:30am ... Beetle was heading down the hall for a nocturnal visit to the bathroom ... silence followed her return to her room ... at 2am I crept up the stairs to hear Oreo the guinea pig sqeaking (she calls for her night-time treat when she hears us moving about - she's got US trained) ... quietly I crept into Beetle's room feed Oreo her nightly yoghurt drops only to trip over Beetle sitting on the floor IN THE DARK !!!

"What the ... ???" my words were choked as I fell over her in the dark ...

"I can't sleep ..." she said in a loud whisper, as she climbed out from under my legs and headed back to bed ... crawling under the covers as I picked myself up off the floor she continued excitedly, "AND Santa came !!! He left my stocking already!!! AND he gave me a BIG present!!!" Her hand waved at the wrapped parcel that would turn out to be a box of cereal ... Her eyes narrowed, "were you up when Santa came?"

"I was asleep on the couch," I said quietly, "he must have snuck in while I was sleeping and not woken me up ..."

"Oh," she said softly looking relieved, "did you put cookies out for him?"

"Yes, a couple of cookies, and a fresh baked butter tart," I whispered, "NOW, You need to go to sleep ... It's not time to get up yet." I kissed her on the cheek.

"Okay," she said with a bright, wide eyed smile, "but I'm too excited. It's hard to sleep!"

"Try ..." I said with a whisper, while I pulled the blankets up around her neck and gave her another kiss.

"Okay," she said smiling as she closed her eyes and pulled Piggy (her pink pig stuffy) closer.

The next four hours had her up repeatedly asking: "Is it time to get up yet?" until 5:30 when Ms. H. bounced out of bed and the giggling and loud whispering announced that Christmas morning had finally begun ...

Now less than five hours later the presents have been opened ... batteries installed where appropriate ... music listened to ... books perused ... and clothing tried on ... a quiet hush has settled over the house ... now is the time we hang out as family ...

All in all, it's been a good Christmas in the face of less than great circumstances ...

The Way our Day Began ...

I hate to admit it, but all Beetle needed to say this morning was "I MUST SAY!!" and her metamorphasis in to Martin Short's Ed Grimley on SCTV would have been complete ...

This scene kept running through my mind as she thumped around in the pre-dawn hours repeatedly asking - "Is it time yet??"

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For moment -ENJOY a little off the wall Christmas Cheer:

O Christmas Tree, O ChristmasTree ...