A New Day's Dawned

...and I feel much better!

The colonoscopy showed everything was fine. I could have told them that, without all the poking and prodding...

Other Items from the "What's Going On" Department:

*Four books donated to an Oxfam charity shop in England turned out to be Cricketer's Atlases from the 1860s...and sold at auction for about $12,000. Gives you incentive to keep looking at thrift shops and garage sales, huh?


*The official report's been released about the Henry Gates Jr. incident last year. (If you'll remember, Gates was stopped by an officer while trying to get into his own home, spoke rudely to him, and was promptly arrested. The charges were later dropped, after President Obama called a "beer summit" meeting between the two.) According to the article:
          
"The situation at Gates' home quickly escalated when it shouldn't have, according to the review put together by a 12-member panel assembled in September. The panel was made up of law enforcement personnel, academics, and experts on race relations and conflict resolution, none of whom had direct ties to the Cambridge Police Department.
The report suggests that [officer] Crowley could have more clearly explained what he was doing and why he was doing it, especially after being shown Gates' license and university ID. For his part, Gates could have used a more respectful tone to address the officer.
        Neither man, in interviews with the panel, said he would have acted differently."
Great.

A dog cuckoo clock. (Wish they did it in Weimaraner.)

 Donald Duck's been arrested for drunken driving. Again.

Oh, and we're all responsible for BP's oil spill. (I love it when someone says that, and mid-post adds, 'of course, I don't have much information about all this...')

It's a beautiful, really windy day in this neighborhood. I just got a new gig: I'll be teaching on the Princess Cruise's Golden Princess -- a cruise to Hawaii and Mexico! Ship leaves Sept. 29 from Los Angeles, and returns Oct. 13. There are a few spots left...but not many. Are you interested? Check here -- would love to have you along.

Aloo Gobi...and Who Knows What Else

No food. No drink. That's me, for most of today.

I find myself reading food articles, as if that will somehow make up for the gurgling and empty feeling. MFK Fisher has been a godsend, one of the few writers who cooked as beautifully as she described.

Husband came home from his physical with the cheerful news that his cholesterol is higher than the last time it got tested. An ultrasound on his neck showed a little plaque buildup in one artery. (I had no idea they did these.) Not terrible, no surgery needed, but a consideration, nonetheless. Which means a stricter diet, more exercise and meds. (The latter to add to the handful of pills he already swallows each morning.)

     We needed the diet and exercise, anyways.

Aloo Gobi showed up as a mention in an article on the merits of group cooking. I was intrigued enough to go looking -- turns out it's a sort-of potato and cauliflower curry. Sounds different, doesn't it -- but it's beloved in India. Unusual, fast, easy to make. I intend to try it once I'm out of this colonoscopy.

ALOO GOBI

• 3 potatoes, chopped
• water for boiling
• 1 cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup water

Preparation:

Boil potatoes until tender; drain. Meanwhile, heat olive oil and spices in a skillet. Add onion, cauliflower and potatoes. Cook for 3-5 min., add lemon juice, water and cook for another 6-8 min. (You'll know it's ready when the cauliflower is done.) Serve by itself, or with rice.Serves about 4.

Transportation...What Next?

I woke up this morning, jammed up against silky furriness...nope, it wasn't one of the dogs. Husband, with his glossy hair, hairy eyebrows and goatee, is home! Gee, I missed that man. And he missed me, too.

We had a luxurious sleep-in, waffles for breakfast, and now I'm trying to get my act together and finish some work before it gets dark.

We have an interesting problem looming. Currently there are two vehicles parked in the Brick driveway -- the 2000 Jeep Cherokee that's been our mainstay car, plus a low-slung Toyota Celica sportscar owned by Daughter #1. She hasn't been driving it for more than a year...she had no place to park it in Denver, and was getting by easier using the bus and lightrail system. She made a deal with us -- if we'd store it, plus pay for insurance and any repairs, we could use it anytime we wanted.

That's worked out very well for the past year. Husband often takes the Celica to work; he enjoys driving a sporty car, and that leaves the Jeep at home for when I need it. That tune will be changing this weekend -- one of Daughter's buddies at work wants to buy it. We'll drive the car into Denver tomorrow for him to take a look...and, I assume, finish the transaction.

Which puts us back to one car. The extra vehicle has been a help, but is it worth it to get a second car?

PROS:
*We'd have it when we needed it
*We could get a make and model that does better on gas (the Jeep only does about 18 mpg at best)
*I could use it for driving to gigs further away
*We have the money -- if we take it out of the retirement account

*What about colder weather -- especially winter? Will we want to walk, bike or 'scoot?' (see below)

CONS:
*THE COST -- not just for the car, but for the license, title and all those goodies of regular ownership.
*I often don't use the Jeep sitting in the driveway, and could do many jobs in the hours between dropping Husband off and picking him up. (Husband's office is only about 2 miles away.)
*It could be just as cheap to rent a car for longer gigs
*Business errands can often be done in the evenings -- along with many other errands

Husband isn't thrilled about the idea of me home without a vehicle, but I think we'd be fine. We live on a hill above a shopping area -- the grocery store is only about 15 min. walk away, along with Home Depot, Michael's and a dollar store! (And frankly, I could use the extra exercise.) The employees for Brickworks can help out with pickups and dropoffs at the post office. (Or I can do it at night, especially for shipping orders.) If things get extra busy, our mail lady will pick up priority boxes directly from Brickworks.

There are also bicycles and scooters to consider. Either would be cheaper than a second car, wouldn't require insurance, and Husband has been talking about biking to work, anyways. (He could use the extra exercise, too.)

I think you can see which direction I've been leaning towards...but is this the right one? I have to do a day's worth of appraisals early next week, as well as get a colonoscopy on Tuesday. (Thankfully, a friend will take me to and from the latter.) It would be so much easier to get these done without worrying whether I have a car to do them with.

What to do, what to do...


P.S. Someone else went through this dithering. But his issue was whether to replace a previously reliable vehicle that was getting old -- and starting to act up. Has some parallels to our situation, though. 

Another Friend Gone

We lost an old friend last week: John Ray, of Lubbock, TX. We met John and his first wife Alma when the girlies were little, and shared their interests in hunting, the backwoods and general adventure. We went to the same church, and shared the same circle of friends.
     Alma died of cancer, and John eventually moved to southern Colorado. We went to see him and wife #2 there, on their buffalo ranch. After their divorce, John moved back to his beloved Texas. Although the ties were stretched, he would stop and visit occasionally, and we always considered him not just a "friend," but a good one.
    He was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in February...and went far too quickly. Our loving thoughts are with him -- and his wife Dona, who he left behind.
    I bet you've already gone out big game hunting in Heaven, John. P.S. I've already got plans to tease you about the middle name you never mentioned!

From the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal:


        John Steven Morningsky Ray, 61, of Lubbock, TX was born in Norman, OK. His primary school years were spent in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after which his family moved to Lubbock, where he graduated from Monterey High in 1966. John attended Texas Tech and graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Business. He married Alma Boyd after graduation, and they moved to Colorado. He served in the United States Army Reserves as an E5. An entrepreneur, John started and owned several businesses. In 1992 he retired to enter into full-time Christian service with Overseas Christian Servicemen's Centers (OCSC). After his wife's death, he moved to the San Luis Valley where he raised cattle and buffalo and operated a hunting lodge and guided buffalo hunts. In 2002, he returned to Lubbock and began investing in real estate.
John was a member of the Safari Club and Gideons International for more than 30 years, serving in several leadership positions. Although a successful businessman and avid hunter who has hunted on 6 continents, his passion was to share his faith. Whether handing out Bibles as a Gideon or pursuing short-term overseas missions, John has been a "missionary" wherever he was, ever-ready to share his faith in Jesus to anyone he met.
John went home to be with the Lord Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at his home in Lubbock after a short battle with cancer.
Survivors include his wife, Dona Rayne Ray, who he married in August 2008; an aunt, Mary Kinnaman of Delta, CO; a nephew, Mark Bond of Plano, TX; 3 step-children, Richard Rayne and his wife Kris of Tallahassee, FL and Celeste Rayne Dove and Lynelle Elliott, both of Berlin, MD. He had seven step-grandchildren, Ronald and Kenneth Rayne, James Hill, Kinsey Camelio, and Brooke, Trace and Ava Elliott. His sister, Dr. Cathy Ray, died in 2005 and his brother, Joseph Ray, died in 1995.
Memorial services will be at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, June 20, 2010 at Redeemer Church, 6402 Elgin Ave., with Pastor Dusty Thompson and Pastor William Hamilton officiating.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials go to Gideons International, P.O. Box 64291, Lubbock, TX 79464.

For Dad

Happy Father's Day, Pa! I will always be thinking of you on this special day.

It may be just a bit, or decades before I see you again...but I have this feeling it will seem like only a few minutes to you.


Love you so much.
Yer kid

Father's Day Without Dad

While Daughters and I have been scurrying about, planning Father's Day surprises for their parent, one person is conspicuously absent from the festivities...my father.

He died in late Feb. of 2009, almost 1 1/2 years ago. It was multiple melanoma, a horrible bone cancer that took his strength and mental quickness, bit by slow bit. He fought it for a little more than three years before it won. In May, he and Mom would have been married 50 years.

Dad was a big, quiet Dutch farmer who grinned a lot, and said very little. (Except to his family, in private where no else could hear.) He endured decades of silly Father's Day presents, included scribbled pictures, painted plaques ("God made only so many perfect heads...the rest he covered with hair"), weird ties, socks -- and books. He loved reading, especially Westerns and history, and liked to point out, in spite of his widespread knowledge, that he was only a "dumb Hollander" because he'd dropped out of school after eighth grade. (He hated it, and his South Dakota farmer dad needed his help, anyways.) Even after his kids grew up and started presenting him with more "normal" presents, like steak dinners, tractor books and Bit-O-Honeys (he loved those), he had to endure a whole new wave of homemade oddities from his grandchildren.

The pain of missing him has subsided to an ache now. I still wish that he would walk through the door on Sunday as we put the steaks on. He'd call me "cwazy," while Mom says I'm a "good Hollander," as I brag about the grill from Craigslist, or the fresh strawberries found on sale.
     Husband and I could use his advice on a second vehicle...whether we should do this or that...what he thinks about the latest shenanigans in Michigan and Colorado politics. (Not to mention the whole BP thing.) Husband and Dad would probably sit off to one side, talking quietly with thoughtful pauses, as Daughters bustle out to the table, silverware and paper napkins in hand. One daughter would flip her long hair over her grandpa's gleaming head, teasing him for being a 'hippie' before she says "Dinner is ready."

I want to feel Dad's strong arms holding me tight -- something he could not do the last year from weakness. (It was hard for him, anyways -- his stoic Dutch forbears rarely told who they loved, let alone TOUCH them.) I want to catch that mix of scents around him: diesel oil, sweat, Old Spice and an overlying, clean smell of fresh-mown hay and wide open spaces. I want to smile at the fashion plate he makes, wearing the dark blue work clothes he's favored since I can remember, "Pete" embroidered in fancy script on the shirt pocket. His clunky work shoes, crusted with dirt and cow manure, would be dropped at the front door, just before he came in.

But he can't -- not now. And I can't, either. But I can:

*Never stop thinking about him. Refusing to remember will not make the pain go away. This ache is the price of loving him for all my life. Was it worth it? Would I do it again? Of course.

*Never stop speaking of him, either -- especially to the girls, Husband and Mom. People have stopped mentioning Dad to my mother, thinking it will ease her. She worries, instead, that they have forgotten him.


*Keep his past advice in mind for future decisions. Dad was lightning-fast and unmoving on certain subjects:
             --tell the truth. no matter what.
             --don't give your word unless you mean to carry it out.
             --bargain things down, or get them directly from the source.
             --don't argue with idiots or bigots; they won't understand, anyways.
             --pay your bills; they come before fun things.
             --save money regularly, even if it's just a little at a time.
             -- your good name, and your faith in God, are of inestimable value. 

*Honor his memory. And his example.


Dad, I love you. Happy Father's Day.
        

Is the Search for Noah's Ark Afloat Again?

Has Noah's Ark been discovered...again?

A team of Turkish-Chinese explorers, also billing themselves as evangelists, have produced wood and other samples, as well as photos, showing several areas of a wooden structure they say was found deep within a glacier.

Some photos, plus a spare description, accompany most articles about this -- because, I'm guessing, the team isn't coughing up much information. Although this site has a detailed video that is just fascinating of the team exploring inside this structure.

I don't know what to think. There is certainly some evidence that the Ark may have been seen and/or touched before by people on Ararat. (There's other evidence that sure looks made up, too.) Could the Ark actually have survived? If so -- and this report is true -- this is by far the longest look at it. Mr. Ararat is not exactly the most user-friendly spot -- not only is there poor weather and climbing conditions to deal with, but the local Turkish authorities have severely limited access, since it sits uncomfortably near a border shared by Iran and Armenia. That area has been known for political unrest and uprisings in the past, as well.


More info on the search for Noah's Ark here.  Here, too. This theory hasn't just surfaced in modern times -- bear in mind that the oldest extant reference (other than the Biblical account) to the Ark landing on Ararat is dated 425 A.D.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.