NEVER SAY NEVER

Hello folks,
I saw this on one of the Down Syndrome sites and just had to post it on my blog. It is so true! So pertinent to my experience! also, so close to all our lives and our daily spiritual walk. I attended one of Dr. Beckman's excellent workshops, back when Robin was quite little, endeavouring to learn all I could to help him develop as normally as possible. This lady specialises in massage therapy but more than that she has developed a unique method for oral motor intervention for our DS kiddos. Because of her techniques and the help I received in implementing those techniques, I believe Robin is as intelligible as he is today.

Never Say Never

By Beverly Beckham

"The tooth is missing. It will never come in. Missing teeth are common among children with Down syndrome," the specialist told my daughter and son-in-law months ago.

He didn't cushion his words. He didn't say, "May not." He said never.

And then last week, there it was - a lower right lateral incisor, next to her lower right central incisor, exactly where it belongs.

"Well, what do you know, Lucy Rose," I said standing all 35 inches of her in front of a mirror. "Look at what you have - a brand new, shiny, white tooth!" I called my daughter at work. "I know," she said. "I saw it this morning. Can you believe it?"

I can now. Because it is here in front of me. But I thought never, too. Because the specialist said. And once again, I believed someone I shouldn't have, someone who doesn't know Lucy.

She will never walk.

He will never speak.

She will never go to college.

She will never have a full set of teeth.

When you have a child with special needs - with Down syndrome, with autism, with diabetes, with muscular dystrophy - with anything that's chronic and defies a cure - you hear "never" all the time.

Doctors say it. Strangers think it. And it rubs off.

It's what we thought - Lucy's mom and dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles - in the beginning after Lucy was born and doctors and nurses looked at her, and us, with a "There, but for the grace of God, go I" in their eyes. It's a great misstatement, this phrase, a huge spiritual falsehood because it means that God withholds his grace from some people and bestows it on others, who are then spared from tragedy.

This isn't true. God doesn't withhold grace. In fact it was through the grace of God that Lucy came to us.

Lucy, who is almost four now. Lucy with her new front tooth. Lucy who has surprised doctors and keeps surprising us.

She made a joke the other day. We were in the kitchen and the window was open and I said, "Listen to the birdie, LuLu," because something was crowing madly in the back yard. And Lucy, who has heard me tease, a million times, that a cow says oink and a pig says meow - (And then she corrects me, because she knows it's a game) - looked me straight in the eyes, shook her head and said and signed "Mouse."

Mouse. Not bird. See how clever I am, Lucy was saying.

She is clever. And resourceful. Two days ago, she was trying to tell me something about a rainbow and was signing and saying "bow" over and over. But I wasn't understanding. So I was guessing. "Cookie? Ball? Outside? Plane? I don't know, Lucy. I'm sorry. I'm not getting it."

And instead of screaming in frustration or giving up - she never gives up - she sat still for a moment. Then she hopped off the couch, walked over to the TV, opened the cabinet door, riffled through about a dozen DVDs, found the one with a rainbow on the front and handed it to me.

"Oh! Rainbow!" I yelled like a contestant on a game show who through no skill of her own wins first prize.

"Yes," Lucy said. Then she hugged me and forgave me my incompetence and smiled.

Pre-natal tests target children like Lucy and doctors apologize when children like Lucy are born. Lucy is a child the world would choose not to have. Foolish, foolish world.

She will never do all the things that typical kids do. That's what the experts say. What they fail to mention is all that she will do.

I read this on a website recently and copied and pasted it in my journal. "Common characteristics observed in [people with Down syndrome]: natural spontaneity, genuine warmth, penetrating clarity in relating to other people, gentleness, patience and tolerance, complete honesty, and the ability to engage in unfettered enjoyment of life's gifts."

I watch Lucy and her unfettered enjoyment of life's gifts. I watch and I learn from my first grandchild, who is life's gift to me.

----------------------------

Don't you just love this! Our Robin is now 11 and he tells me with a deep John Wayne voice (his best impersonation and the one he uses when he wants to sound "cool)..."Mom, I"m big now, I'm not a baby" and he swaggers a little as he says it....what would I do without his presence in our life daily...I would be missing so much! We all would. He has no guile, he holds no grudges. Even when I sometimes find myself being impatient with him - he has no concept of going faster...no need to hurry - he takes his time and works on his own clock...I guess he feels he'll get there when he'll get there.....so even when I get impatient and might snap at him...he still forgives and gives me a hug or a peck on the cheek and tells me "I like you Mom"....how can one argue with that?

STILL VEERY COLD!

Brrr.....this cold snap has gone on long enough... - 40 and holding.....everybody is holed in their cabins.....kids stay inside and play table games...
Hope it passes soon...some say it will last for another 2 weeks.
Tomorrow is the big Buongiorne bash for NYears and then the community bash. I think fireworks are gonna be in order but hope it is not too cold to be outside!

No more for now...brrrr

SOMETHING FOR STEVIE

Enjoy 
starting your day with a smile/tear...

 
*The Folded Napkin**!* 


 

A Truckers Story -

Long one, but worth reading through.



I try not to be biased, but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. 
His placement counselor assured me that he would be a good, reliable  busboy. 
But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee and wasn't sure  wanted 
one. I wasn't sure how my customers would react to Stevie. 
He was short, a little dumpy with the smooth facial features and 
thick-tongued speech of Downs Syndrome. I wasn't worried about most  of  my 
trucker customers because truckers don't generally care who buses  tables  as 
long as the meatloaf platter is good and the pies are homemade. 

 The four-wheeler drivers were the ones who concerned me; the mouthy 
college kids traveling to school; the yuppie snobs who secretly 
polish their silverware with their napkins for fear of catching  some dreaded 
"truck stop germ" the pairs of white-shirted business men on expense accounts 
who  think every truck stop waitress wants to be flirted with. I knew those 
people  would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for 
the  first  few weeks. 

I shouldn't have worried after the first week; Stevie had my staff 
wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my 
truck regulars  had  adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. 
  After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers  thought  of 
him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to  laugh 
and  eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt  and 
pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee  spill 
was visible when Stevie got done with the table.

Our only problem  was 
persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers  were 
finished. He would hover in the background, shifting his weight from  one 
foot to to the other, scanning the dining room until a table was  empty. 
Then he would scurry to the empty table and carefully bus dishes 
and glasses onto his cart and meticulously wipe the table up with a 
practiced  flourish of his rag. 
If he thought a customer was watching, his brow would pucker with added 
concentration. He took pride in doing his job exactly right, and  you 
had  to love how hard he tried to please each and every person he met. 


Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who 
was disabled after repeated surgeries for cancer. They lived on  their 
Social  Security benefits in public housing two miles from the truck stop. 
Their  social worker, who stopped to check on him every so often, admitted 
they  had  fallen between the cracks. Money was tight, and what I paid him 
was probably the difference between them being able to live 
together and Stevie being sent to a group home.

That's why the 
restaurant was a gloomy place  that morning last August, the first morning in three years that  Stevie missed work. 
 
He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a new valve or something 
put  in his heart. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome 
  often  have heart problems at an early age, so this wasn't unexpected, and 
there  was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape 
and  be  back at work in a few months. 
 
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning  when  word 
came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. 
 
  Frannie, the head waitress, let out a war whoop and did a little 
dance in  the aisle when she heard the good news. 
Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at the sight of 
this 50-year-old grandmother of four doing a victory shimmy beside table. 
Frannie blushed, smoothed her apron and shot Belle Ringer a  withering  look. 
He grinned. "OK, Frannie, what was that all about?" he asked. 
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be  okay." 
  "I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him.

What  was  the surgery about?" 
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting  at  his 
booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is  going  to 
be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going 
to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting 
by as it  is." 
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait  on  the 
rest of her tables. Since I hadn't had time to round up a busboy 
to replace Stevie and really didn't want to replace him, the girls 
were busing  their own tables that day until we decided what to do. 
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a 
couple  of  paper napkins in her hand and a funny look on her face. 
"What's up?" I asked.  "I didn't get that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were  sitting  cleared off after they left, and Pony Pete
and Tony Tipper were  sitting  there when I got back to clean it off," she said.

 "This was folded and  tucked under a coffee cup." 
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk 
when I  opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed 
"Something  For Stevie".


"Pony Pete asked me what that was all about," she said, "so I told  him  about 
Stevie and his Mom and everything, and Pete looked at Tony and Tony 
looked at Pete, and they ended up giving me this." She handed me another 
paper  napkin that had "Something For Stevie" scrawled on its outside. Two 
$50 bills were tucked within its folds. Frannie looked at me with wet, 
shiny eyes, shook her head and said simply: "truckers." 
 
That was three months ago. Today is Thanksgiving, the first day Stevie
is supposed to be back to work . 

His placement worker said he's been counting the days until the doctor  said  he could work, and it didn't matter at all that it was a holiday.  He called 10 times in the past week, making sure we knew he was coming, fearful that  we had forgotten him or that his job was in jeopardy. I arranged to have 
his mother bring him to work . I then met them in the parking lot 
and  invited them both to celebrate his day back. 
 


Stevie was thinner and paler, but couldn't stop grinning as he 
pushed through the doors and headed for the back room where his apron and  busing cart were waiting. 
 
"Hold up there, Stevie, not so fast," I said. I took him and his mother by 
their arms. "Work can wait for a minute. To celebrate you coming  back, 
breakfast for you and your mother is on me!" I led them toward a  large 
corner booth at the rear of the room. 

I could feel and hear the rest of the staff following behind as we marched
through the dining room. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw booth after booth 
of grinning truckers empty and join the procession. We stopped in front of 
the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups, saucers and dinner 
plates, all sitting slightly crooked on dozens of folded paper napkins. 
"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said. 
I  tried to sound stern. 
Stevie looked at me, and then at his mother, then pulled out one of  the 
napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he 
picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. 
  Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from 
beneath the tableware, each with his name printed or scrawled on it.

I turned to his mother. "There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all  from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. 
"Happy 
Thanksgiving." 



Well, it got real noisy about that time, with everybody hollering 
and shouting, and there were a few tears, as well. 


But you know what's funny?

While everybody else was busy shaking 
hands and  hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table. 


Best worker I ever hired. 



Plant a seed and watch it grow. 



At this point, you can bury this inspirational message or forward 
it, fulfilling the need! 
 
If you shed a tear, hug yourself, because you are a compassionate 
person.


Well.. Don't just sit there! Send this story on! Keep it going, 
this is 
a 
good one!

LAS AMIGAS CURAN!!

LAS AMIGAS CURAN

Interesante descubrimiento: un estudio publicado por la universidad de los angeles, california, indica que la amistad entre mujeres es verdaderamente especial. Se descubrio que las amigas contribuyen al fortalecimiento de la identidad y proteccion de nuestro futuro. Constituyen un remanso en medio del mundo real, lleno de tempestades y obstaculos. Las amigas nos ayudan a llenar los vacios emocionales de nuestras relaciones con los hombres y nos ayudan a recordar quienes somos realmente.

Despues de 50 anos de investigaciones, se identifico que existen sustancias quimicas producidas por el cerebro que ayudan a crear y mantener lazos de amistad entre las mujeres. Los investigadores, hombres en su mayoria, se sorprendieron con losresultados de los estudios. Cuando la hormona oxitocina es liberada como parte de la reaccion de las mujeres frente al estres, ellas sienten la necesidad de proteger a sus hijos y de agruparse con otras mujeres; cuando pasa eso, se produce una cantidad aun mayor de oxitocina, que reduce el estres mas agudo y provoca un efecto calmante. Estas reacciones no aparecen entre los miembros del sexo masculino porque la testosterona que los hombres producen en altas cantidades, tiende a neutralizar los efectos de la oxitocina; mientras que los estrogenos femeninos aumentan la produccion de esta hormona.

Despues de repetidos estudios, se demostro que los lazos emocionales existentes entre las mujeres que son amigas verdaderas y leales, contribuyen para una reduccion de riegos de enfermedades ligadas a la presion arterial y colesterol. Se cree que esta puede ser una de las razones de que las mujeres vivan mas que los hombres. Las mujeres que no establecen relaciones de amistad con otras mujeres, no muestran los mismos resultados en su salud. Asi que tener amigas nos ayuda no solamente a vivir mas, sino tambien a vivir mejor.

El estudio sobre la salud indica que entre mas amigas tenga una mujer, mayor es la probabilidad de que llegue a vieja sin problemas fisicos y llevando una vida plena y saludable. En este mismo estudio se observo tambien, como las mujeres superan los momentos criticos (como la muerte del conyuge) y se percibio que las mujeres que podian confiar en sus amigas reaccionan sin enfermedades graves y se recuperan en un lapso menor que aquellas que no tienen en quien confiar. El estudio concluyo que la amistad entre las mujeres constituye ¡una fuente de fuerza, bienestar, alegria y salud!

Por eso y por muchas cosas mas:

¡que vivan las amigas!

*que la justicia se ponga de rodillas*
*la tierra no es una herencia de nuestros padres, *
*sino un prestamo de nuestros hijos*

DON'T QUIT!

THE CONCERT

WHEN THE HOUSE LIGHTS DIMMED AND THE CONCERT WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN, THE MOTHER RETURNED TO HER SEAT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE CHILD WAS MISSING... SUDDENLY, THE CURTAINS PARTED AND SPOTLIGHTS FOCUSED ON THE IMPRESSIVE STEINWAY ON STAGE.

IN HORROR, THE MOTHER SAW HER LITTLE BOY SITTING AT THE KEYBOARD, INNOCENTLY PICKING OUT "TWINKLE,TWINKLE LITTLE STAR."

AT THAT MOMENT, THE GREAT PIANO MASTER MADE HIS ENTRANCE, QUICKLY MOVED TO THE PIANO, AND WHISPERED IN THE BOY'S EAR, "DON'T QUIT.""KEEP PLAYING." THEN, LEANING OVER, PADEREWSKI REACHED DOWN WITH HIS LEFT HAND AND BEGAN FILLING IN A BASS PART. SOON HIS RIGHT ARM REACHED AROUND TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CHILD, AND HE ADDED A RUNNING OBBLIGATO.

TOGETHER, THE OLD MASTER AND THE YOUNG NOVICE TRANSFORMED WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A FRIGHTENING SITUATION INTO A WONDERFULLY CREATIVE EXPERIENCE.

THE AUDIENCE WAS SO MESMERIZED THAT THEY COULDN'T RECALL WHAT
ELSE THE GREAT MASTER PLAYED. ONLY THE CLASSIC, " TWINKLE, TWINKLE LITTLE STAR."

PERHAPS THAT'S THE WAY IT IS WITH GOD.

WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH ON OUR OWN IS HARDLY NOTEWORTHY.

WE TRY OUR BEST, BUT THE RESULTS AREN'T ALWAYS GRACEFUL FLOWING MUSIC. HOWEVER, WITH THE HAND OF THE MASTER, OUR LIFE'S WORK CAN TRULY BE BEAUTIFUL.

THE NEXT TIME YOU SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH GREAT FEATS, LISTEN CAREFULLY. YOU MAY HEAR THE VOICE OF THE MASTER, WHISPERING IN YOUR EAR, "DON'T QUIT." "KEEP PLAYING."

MAY YOU FEEL HIS ARMS AROUND YOU AND KNOW THAT HIS HANDS ARE THERE, HELPING YOU TURN YOUR FEEBLE ATTEMPTS INTO TRUE MASTERPIECES.

REMEMBER, GOD DOESN'T SEEM TO CALL THE EQUIPPED, RATHER, HE EQUIPS THE 'CALLED.' LIFE IS MORE ACCURATELY MEASURED BY THE LIVES YOU TOUCH THAN BY THE THINGS YOU ACQUIRE. SO TOUCH SOMEONE BY PASSING THIS LITTLE MESSAGE ALONG.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND BE WITH YOU ALWAYS! AND

REMEMBER , "DON'T QUIT."

"KEEP PLAYING."

TOO COLD AND DROPPING

Hello from the cold north!
Temp. has bombed out at -40 and dropping....much too cold for me. Seems we are having some folks coming back to the farm from various places. Jepsens are returning tonight, just got a chat from SJ saying they were in Anchorage, they will be bringing Kelsey back, she was visiting with her mom. Buongiornes are having the traditioal New Year's bash with just us and then joining the rest of the community for fun and games until midnight when we traditionally set off fireworks. We all mill around the Tab, eating, drinking (non-alcoholic beverages for those whose eyebrows might go up at the thot!), watching documentaries, playing table games and then going outside for the bonfire and fireworks. I will post in more detail after the fact.
Our family usually has a big feed just prior, cause the kids like it.
Well, no more to tell on such a cold day.....

OUR TRIP TO SPAIN, UK AND EIRE

HOME AT LAST!!

It seems incredible that already 2 weeks have zoomed by since my oldest son Pat Lou (17) and self have got back into the swing of things up here in frozen Alaska. I will try and recap for all, our whirlwind trip to Spain, UK and Eire (Ireland). I feel that many had something to do with the trip which was conceived about 2 years ago, actually in the heart of my son...he said to me one day: "Mom, why don't you take me to where you come from?.... I thought... what Argentina? "No! he said, "take me to Spain!"....weeelllll, OK, we'll see. That seemed a very far-fetched idea at the time, although I had been wanting in my heart of hearts, to go back to Spain and tie up some badly loose ends left unsettled-over 23 years ago, when I left in 1982. I thought I wld never get the change again, even though many of the brethren over there had been begging me for years to return if even for a short visit.

Motherhood and general business of life took over for the next 19 years and the last 7 were occupied mainly with caring for a "special" child....our young Robin. Although he is truly a blessing to all of us, he does take much of my time and energies so a trip to Europe was certainly not in the planning for me, since I am also his main caretaker and teacher. After checking things out and praying, both hubby and self felt that if this was to be God wld have to provide the time, and finances for it. Slowly during the lapse of a couple of years, money started coming in from different sources, donations, savings, my son worked for half of the cost of the whole trip.

We left on October 11 and came back on Nov. 15...35 days of an incredible experience for both of us.

Our main purpose was, of course, to catch the convention in Spain which is now held in Seville, a main city of about 2 million people. The brethren have purchased a lovely "villa" like plot of land with the sale of the original farm in Huelva, which used to be called "Los Veneros"....springs of waters....a misnomer since we never did find a good water supply. There are about 30 folks living around the area in their own homes but meeting in a common convention site which was built for that purpose. But I am getting ahead of myself.

MADRID:

After 23 years of absence I found Madrid to be very crowded and stressful. I took almost a week to tour the city's main sights on my own, leaving Pat behind with the Galapagar folks and kids...

Galapagar is situated in what is called the "sierras' or higher ground. Not really mountains but at the foothills. They do actually get snow up there and houses are mostly of the one story ranch style with lots of masonry and granite rock...The house was purchased by two families who are related by marriage and their children who are mostly grown but still live at home. I found everybody totally changed from my time with them, when they were either teens or in my PreK class in Madrid. A far cry from all of that, now everybody has grown up, married, goes to college or works....fortunately for my son Pat, most of the young folk either understand or speak English so he was not at a loss for fellowship. I think he really enjoyed his stay there. Since he was not interested in following my sister Karenza and self to visit all the "old fogies" from our years living in Spain in the 70's and 80's we left him behind took the public transport and visited to our hearts content. It was so good to have my sister there, for the first time in ages, we were carefree and just enjoying each others company. K left before I did to go back down to Seville, which is her home-base now, when she is in Spain. She herself had just come back from a visit to all the small towns up north and also to Tangiers in Africa...but that is another story.

I finally did get to see the Prado. The feckless Philips may have taken their country down the tubes on political and economic fronts, but the collection at the Prado is clear testimony to their interest in painting and sculpture, both local and foreign. I zeroed in on the Spanish painters: Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, Zurbaran, not ignoring Titian, Tintoretto, Durer, lovely Ruben's. For me, it wasn't the variety of the collection at the Prado which made it memorable as much as the extensive collections of single painters, notably Velazquez and Goya. Goya, I found very disturbing as Pat had warned me about them...the battle scene inspired by the spontaneous uprising of the Spanish people in Madrid against the French forces quartered there (1808; mostly Moorish conscripts), and the scene of Spanish soldiers being executed by the French...quite mesmerizing. Then of course, the Black paintings not only show man's inhumanity to man but also the painters inner convoluted self...the dark paint and gnarled nightmarish figures....not nice...

Pat was lured into one night of Madrid life...down the Gran Via, the main avenue...we were suddenly plunged into a festive crowd, also looking for diversion at the end of the day. Studying merchandise laid out on the sidewalk, flowered skirts, studded belts, leather goods, you name it. We listened to impromptu musicians (really good), playing the Brandenburg concertos, guitarists, Moors, etc. I was aware of more dark skin and kinky hair than in the 80's, evidence of the Arab and African connections to Spain. At about 7.30pm. When we had both had enough and were thinking about the 2 hour bus ride home, the crowd suddenly increased and I realized that, for the Spanish with their leisurely dinner hours, the evening was still young.

On our first day together Pat, self and Aunt K were able to see the Royal Palace in Madrid, he was duly impressed and especially his visit to the Royal Armory with all its life-size knights and horses in full armor...some of these rooms are still in use for special occasions.

Only about 25 rooms are on the tour, I believe there are about 1,000 rooms or more. Very ornate and glitzy...very Baroque and overdone but surely a work of art for the knowing eye.

We also went to the famous monastery in El Escorial which was only about 30' away from where we were staying with the Galapagar folk. El Escorial was built by Philip II as a palace to bury the royal families of Spain and while the tombs were quite lavish (green marble caskets in a black marble hall that was festooned with gold for the kings and pure white marble for the lesser types) the granite building is without embellishment, a giant prison. Myriad rooms and hallways, tunnels and cloisters. Quite fascinating although rather depressing....lots of college students attending the nearby university. One could hear the angelic choirs and musicians practicing, wafting up from the cloisters and hidden rooms.

TOLEDO

On our way back, to Madrid, I took him to Toledo the last and most famous of the Moorish strongholds. It is one of Spain's most beautifully maintained mediaeval cities and has been now recognized as an international "patrimony"....One can look down on the unidentified domes and spires, the shape of the Alcazar, the Tagus River with its high stone banks, embracing the town which at evening was bathed in a light that emphasized its creamy walls and red roofs. We visited the house of El Greco the Greek born, Spaniard who painted those typical elongated and ethereal depictions of spirituality. The church of Santo. Tome housed his famous "Burial of the Count of Orgaz". The Cathedral in Toledo is a riot of everything. Massive pillars, towering arches, somewhat over-decorated and overdone. We visited all the famous places, some very old synagogues dated back to the 10 century. The Jews have been in Spain since Roman times before being ex-pulsed by the catholic kings. The Museo de Sta. Cruz holds religious and architectural treasures and was well worth the visit and time. Originally a hospital built into the shape of a cross with wide arches and high wooden ceilings, it has become a place of treasures and remained an architectural treasure itself. If you had ever had to be sick with some horrible Renaissance disease, this would have been the place to be...a walk in the cloister alone would have cured you...We even had time to visit the Jewish museum, called "Museo del Sefradi"...housing mostly artifacts from the Romans times and basically dealing with one sect called "sefradites"...very interesting and educational to see how the Jews have played such an important part in Spanish history.

Toledo is a real working city as opposed to one preserved for the benefit of the tourist trade. At every turn one wld see real craftsmen working in the original Damascene embossing...the art of engraving and embedding precious metals like silver and gold into baser metals-like iron or copper. Of course, Pat could not resist the knife craftsmanship and would have bought the store if I'd let him. As it is he did bring back a very nice knife because of which I was holding my breath at all the way thru Customs...one could find the master craftsmen doing their thing right inside their shops....and not just for tourists...Toledo is one of the - if not THE - knife making Mecca of the world.

Pat got quite adept at navigating the maze of subways in Madrid and London and taking buses and trains, etc. For a first timer, I was quite impressed. He even brought himself home after we visited Toledo and almost scared his mother and the folks waiting for him at home, to death...he was supposed to take a number of buses and subways and then fell asleep on the last leg and went all the way up the mountain to the Escorial monastery, hitching a ride back down at 11pm..!! Not very smart but he had a big grin of accomplishment when he got home!

There is a funny story about our visit to Toledo.....concerning Bro. Buddy who was staying at the Galapagar house after the Seville convention. When he found out that we had taken the trip to Toledo with one of the sisters in the church in Madrid who also happens to be a prophet, he mentioned that perhaps we should ask the prophet to prophecy where Pat could be since we had lost track of him....I think I got the story right....second or third hand! Sorry if I didn't Bro. Buddy! :)

GIBRALTAR

This was a fascinating one day trip. An incredible mix of British and Spanish. The "llanitos" as they call themselves are really British subjects but are also "gibraltarians"....they speak both languages with a funny little accent which is quite not one or the other. Very friendly and amazingly skilled in driving acrobatics which is a must in the ups and downs of VERY NARROW streets...so narrow in fact that cars come out of the factory with retractable outside mirrors.....and even then they get sheared off....the Barbary monkeys brought in by Churchill during WWII are also quite a sight....they'll grab at anything and one has to hold on to ones possessions. Pat had a good time climbing the Queens Gatehouse (built in the 1800's), which was barred but he scaled it anyway, it goes up to the top of the Rock, almost 1800 feet, but he did not go up all the way because he told us that there was a fort with cannons and he got intimidated....thankfully! The Rock even boasts of its own cavern system with pre historic cavemen remains...

The Spanish brethren were very hospitable and could not do enough to make us comfortable, feeding us the amazingly delicious Spanish food, wines, fruits, dates, etc. In some places they had special fruit for me since they knew how much I liked it and how little we got of it in Alaska.

Everybody was very interested in watching my little home video of our Alaskan lifestyle and marveling at how one did manage up in the cold north....

Just to recap on the Seville convention. There was a good representation of FM. Steve Arsenault gave a very telling word on "why is the woman getting naked in the House of the Lord.." mainly dealing with the lack of modesty inside the church...this was especially conspicuous in the congregation...for some reason many of the female youth are not very modest...even my son remarked on it. The word was good...basically dealing with an inner change and not a status quo....God is in constant motion and change...we will miss it if we don't keep up....my sister did some interpreting as well as Martha (who is an excellent interpreter I feel - excellent command of both languages)...and another woman who has lived in South America for many years. I was glad not to get asked since I haven't done this sort of translating for many years and one loses ones touch...especially with Biblical lingo.

A highlight of the convention was that I was able to meet up with my friend Sara Correa/Weedman. We both worked on Sam Fife booklets for a while, translating them into Spanish and having them printed by Bill Bell...so very long ago it seems. We had kind of lost contact with each other and then she called me out of the blue and asked me if I was going to the Seville convention...what a coincidence! We ended up rooming together and catching up...found out that we both got married the same year....thanks Sara for a lovely time!! Hope we can meet up again soon...

Pat interacted very well with his peers but many times I would find him in the men's dorm just passed out with exhaustion....I think the culture shock got to him after a while. He kept asking me why every body "yelled" so much....did not get used to the level of decibels

SEVILLE

I did take one day to sight-see in Seville. A beautiful city with much southern Andalusia charm. I visited the Royal Alcazar which is a representation of Moorish architecture and splendor at its best. Although the building is empty it is an exquisite example of Arab skill and opulence. Young couples today use it as a setting for weddings and receptions...the only place I could get in without paying by just showing my Spanish passport...rather gratifying. I also ambled through the Jewish quarters, with its picturesque narrow streets, colorful balconies with hanging plants and dark faces peering at one through the window slits. Gypsies and moors and Arabs selling their wares on the sidewalk, castanets, fans, lovely shawls, etc. The cathedral had a queue (?) a mile long so I skipped it much to my hubby's disappointment....I got caught in the middle of a piquet strike of something or other rather scary...

After doing Seville, I went back to Alcala de Guadaira the place where Karenza is sharing a flat with somebody from the body there...and then we kept on sightseeing in the town proper which is also seeped in Moorish ness, boasting its own Moorish castle which is in a sad state of disrepair but very commanding nevertheless. It was just a treat to be with Karen and just wander around like two young girls....sort of recapturing the childhood we sort of were robbed of because of different circumstances growing up in Argentina...a nice time together...Alcala is a quaint city/town once called the "bread bin" of that area, and indeed there is a monument to the "bread maker" or "panadero" in their lovely little central plaza which incidentally also boasts one of the oldest olive trees still alive today, probably hundreds of years old....all twisted up and gnarly.

LONDON

After almost 3 weeks in Spain off we went to London. When we landed there we still had to take a train to my relatives who live in Reading. Fortunately I had knows beforehand that my aunt's place would not really be the best place to stay for Pat so we made a quick transfer to Gatwick and I put him on a plane to Dublin to spend some time with the family at Blessington, Ireland, or Eire, as it is also called. Turned out that was a good move because Pat totally enjoyed himself there...they operate more on a rural routine which is what he is used to up here in Alaska. He was surrounded by folks who spoke his language and had a lovely time. Jon Ritchie was ever so gracious to both of us and made sure our time there was well spent. He took Pat under his wing and sometimes I had to pinch myself to realize that this was the Jon I taught back here at The Land in third grade....time has a way of flying by and kids grow up and circumstances change.....Jon was a dear and we appreciated the hospitality and spirit at Blessington. It was good for me too, to get to know Cathy Giles and Allison who I had never met before. The large 600 year old 20 odd room manor house they all live in is quite unique and set in a bucolic and peaceful setting, with a lake and white woolly sheep and lovely gardens...the perfect setting! Pat want to go back this summer, so we'll see what develops.

While he spent 8 days in Ireland I was left to my own devices in London. I took one and a half days to sight see. I used to live in London in the 70's but as a working girl never did take the time to sight-see as I should have. The same thing happened to me living in Madrid for 10 years. Silly of me! So this was my time to do all the sightseeing I wanted. Many of the popular places like Westminster and St. Paul's were very expensive to go into and some were even closed. But I did get to go on a Thames cruise and a London sightseeing bus tour which was enjoyable. The only lack was that I was on my own....in between I fitted time to be with my aged aunt who is a missionary together with my uncle, to the gypsies in Spain and Cyprus. I also met one of my cousins who was very generous with his time and drove me back and forth to different church events my aunt was involved with. I took a day to go and see Oxford which was a lovely place to visit with all its churches, abbeys and spires and steeples. Steeped in history and traditions. Saw the place were C.S.Lewis spent so many happy years at the Magdalene college.

It was a real treat for me to have some time to see my cousin Lorraine in Bristol. I took the train to her city and we spent a very short but blessed time together...catching up in what little time we had. She was sorry not to have met Pat, he was in Blessington, as her youngest daughter Lowena was there and they are both the same age....next time....

Then it was off to Blessington for 3 days, pick Pat up come back to London and Reading. We took a day to visit the British Museum and Museum of Natural History, both of which are probably some of the best in the world. We walked and walked around until Pat told me he wanted to go back home. By then I think he was ready to come home.

I think that the worst times for him were the waiting at airports....he had books and then just roamed around. There were some scary moments for me in Madrid and London where he wld just forget he was in a big city and just barge off and leave me behind....this was probably the most stressful time for me, the fear of losing him amongst the hoards of humanity. We both concluded that Europe is too crowded, the oriental tourists literally come in masses and just run you down it seems. Too many people, too much pollution. Pat came back appreciating the vastness of Alaska I think....

He slept most-of the long hours crossing the ocean so much so that the BA hostesses asked me if he was dead...jokingly of course, but still-!!

When we got to Seattle we found that we had a 6 hour wait to board a flight to Alaska. I kept going back to the counter and finally got put on an earlier plane and got two free bonus tickets in the bargain... that was a good deal for us.

Pat got on the phone to his buddies as soon as we got to Seattle trying to squeeze 35 days of absence into 2 hours of talking. I think he was glad to be home at last and on US soil! No place like phone....

We found Europe to be very expensive, the US$ was weaker than the Euro and the GBP so one did not have much to show after the change...Public transport was very expensive...Reading to London for example was around $50 and we did that a few times. All of Europe and especially Spain is coming out of some sort of a slump and Spain is considered one of the countries which is undergoing the most development at present...I believe it! Everywhere we looked there were cranes and construction going on, so much so that some of the more popular sites were closed to tourists.

The trip was good, it accomplished the purpose for which it was done, it gave Pat a sense of being part of something far vaster than he thought at first, gave him a taste of other cultures and countries and how other people live, made him more appreciative of what he has back home.....the list goes on and on...

Needless to say my other children and husband were overjoyed at having us back. Robin was especially missing me and it was mutual. This was the first time we were separated since he was born. I will say that husband Pat did an excellent job of taking over my schooling for Robin for the 25 school days we were gone and I could not have done without him. Actually that was the sign from the Lord to me, that this trip was the right thing to do...my main concern was who was to take over Rob's schooling and when Pat said he would be willing to fill in for me...I took this as a green light. Everybody at school reported that they got along famously together and it was rather cute to see father and son amble onto school every morning.

A funny story here is that one of the teachers overheard my husband Pat telling Robin that: " today is October 15th...." turned out he was about a week off and the teacher eventually told him so....but not after hearing him telling his attentive pupil the wrong date for about 3 days! :)

Thank-you all who prayed for us and supported us in various ways. God is good and He brought us back safely home which is no mean feat, considering all the unrest in the world at present.

Blessings to all.

Gri Buongiorne The Land Dry-Creek Alaska

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT...

Hello,
It is a lovely -18 outside with a fresh coating of fluffy snow...well..maybe not lovely but at least it is not -30.
Just a short note to say that we are all relaxing this quiet Saturday afternoon and what is commonly known amongst our circles.."laying low"...which loosely means not doing much of anything "community wise" - perhaps doing some reading, catching up on projects, visiting around camp or - for the more adventuresome - snomachining up the mountain! I guess laying low means whatever you want it to...
I am attaching some pics of a too friendly moose who ambled into our camp and is actually grazing on some leaves in Sis. Marilyn's backyard....too close for comfort. If I can, I will download the short clip where you can see it laying down its ears...as if to say: DON'T COME ANY CLOSER CHUM!....

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK END.

CAROLING, COLD, HOT CHOCOLATE AND COOKIES!

Hello,
Well we finally got the kids together for some caroling. Not all were kids, though, some adults tagged along, good natured but feeling the cold. Myself, Craig and Hanna Mason and Kathy Casey were the brave adults while some young adults such as Pat Lu, May and Erica also came. The rest was a merry band of youngsters who thought it all very exciting. Fortunately the weather helped out by only being -2 instead of -20. It felt quite cold to me.
Joe had a very good idea this year when he hitched up one of the sleds to two of the draft horses (I think Irish and Dew) and some sleigh bells. We sat on bales of hay and carried quart jars with little candles in them. Most of us had headlamps and some of us had red light bulbs in them which made for a VERY festive and appropriate setting.
We passed out our caroling booklets and sang merrily along as we lurched and slid and almost tumbled off the sled as it slid its way through snow and drift.
It was fun and nobody took note of the fact that we did not always know all the words to the songs. People came out dutifully braving the cold and watched us on their porches or sat inside in their living rooms and watched us through their windows.
Some extra excitement was had when Joe kept taking the sled through deep drifts or up against overhanging branches and everybody either almost got knocked off or doused with snow from the branches....
My humble camera was not able to capture the lights and decor various families had out, but I will include a few nonetheless....
Robin is wearing his headlamp and his neon orange snow pants, so he is quite visible. I kept asking him if he wanted to go home and get warm but he would have none of it...he wanted to stay.
After about 45' of lurching around on the wagon we finally made all our rounds and came back to the Tab for some welcoming warmth, hot chocolate and cookies.
It was a good time!

Next morning the official Christmas Day, being the 25th. of Dec. we came back to the Tab to eat a scrumptious brunch of:

English muffins
cheese
ham
cream puffs
scrambled eggs and grits
egg nog
coffee and hot chocolate

Thank you to all the ladies who made this possible. Rachel, May, Kim, Gri, Jessi, Kelly, etc.

So after the big meal, we hung around playing table games, messing on the computer, generally having a good time of food and fellowship.

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL AND BLESSED DAY WITH YOUR LOVED ONES!!

gri et all

DON'T MESS WITH OLD LADIES !!!

An older lady gets pulled over for speeding...

Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?

Officer: Ma'am, you were speeding.

Older Woman: Oh, I see.

Officer: Can I see your license please?

Older Woman: I'd give it to you but I don't have one.

Officer: Don't have one?

Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving.

Officer: I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please?

Older Woman: I can't do that.

Officer: Why not?

Older Woman: I stole this car.

Officer: Stole it?

Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner.

Officer: You what!

Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see?

The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.

Officer 2: Ma'am, could you step out of your vehicle please!


The woman steps out of her vehicle.

Older woman: Is there a problem sir?

Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner.

Older Woman: Murdered the owner?


Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please?

The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.

Officer 2: Is this your car, ma'am?

Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers.

The officer is quite stunned.

Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license.

The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer.

The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.

Officer 2: Thank you ma'am, one of my officers told me you didn't have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.

Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.



Don't Mess With Old Ladies.

FIRST SNOW, ETC.

Hello Friends,

Yesterday was gray with a smattering of little hard snowflakes. This morning, we awoke to a white world, there are no mountains to be seen, and visibility is on the low side. The temperature is holding at 22*. See, I knew spring wasn’t really on the way yet. I actually don’t mind the fresh snow. Everything was so dirty looking after that wind blowing dirt everywhere.

Tony’s job with his Dozer is somewhere between Delta and the Gerstle River. Wendy says he is just laying down the trees and brush, that his blade has to up a certain amount of inches or feet. He was working in a brush-y area and it was a little dangerous since the little branches were brittle and were breaking off and flying everywhere. Now he’s in a bigger tree area.

A few people asked about our indoor picnic. We just ate picnic food but buffet style as if we were going outside. We could sit wherever we wanted, and the tables had vinyl table cloths on them. Oh, and we had plastic plates and silverware. Sis Jannis came with her summer gingham shirt and a straw hat with feather. The Fouse children wore tank tops and shorts. After supper, before dessert of home made ice cream sandwhiches, we had a time of reading jokes or stories. Sis Griselda and Sis Jannis read us some things they had stored up for such an occasion. Tommy and Sis Millie read little stories too.

Have a nice day.

LATER...

Hi. Yesterday for approximately 24 hours, we had a warm wind whipping through here, melting snow and throwing trash around. Last night when I went to bed, it was 47*. Right now, at 10:45 pm, it is 41*. The loggers got busy today and pulled all their equipment out of the woods and moved it to this side of the Tanana River. I heard that just today Whitestone’s road went out. They are back to boating.

Because of the warm weather and because Tony’s dozer is a cold weather cooled piece of equipment and because Tony is mowing down brush and small trees that get stuck in the tracks of his dozer, Tony’s dozer caught on fire the other day. Then while Tony was trying to get the fire out, his hand got too near the fan belt that is slipping and he nearly crushed his right hand. His hand is very swollen and all the skin is scraped off the back of his hand, but nothing was broken.

We have a rash of birthdays on Sunday. We are going to make a little bit of a deal of Bro Rus’s birthday because, if we have the year correct, he should be 80 years old. Hannah Mason is making a nice dinner with the Basalyga’s traditional mint birthday cake for dessert.

The ground is one big pile of slush. It’s awful. But, it should be dry soon because there is not much snow to melt this year.

More another night.


LATER.....

Good morning. Just a quick hello to brag about our gray but 34* weather. We have lots of slushy snow; the mud hasn’t quite arrived yet and maybe it won’t since we didn’t get much snow this year.

Marilyn is taking a pile of boys to the base to go swimming today. They are all pretty excited about that. Poor Tony was going to go with them as one of the adults, but his boss is making him work today. L

Some of the ladies went to Delta this week to get haircuts. The farm’s a new place with all the beautiful, bouncy, fresh ladies.

I have company coming over tonight so I better get to the cleaning and cooking.

Have a great weekend.

LATER........

This morning it was -2*. Can you believe it? I couldn’t, except I had to go out in it, so I remembered real fast. It warmed up in to daytime to nearly 40*, and now at 10:30 pm, it is 18*.

We had a nice, small celebration for Bro Rus’s 80th birthday on Sunday. We managed to surprise him. Sarah Jane got him a nice flower arrangement and Carolyn decorated a special cake for him. We all had a cake from a recipe that is a traditional birthday cake for the Basalygas. I noticed he had some cards by his plate, and we gave him his photo book. I think he was pleased, even though he is the staunchest hold out on not celebrating birthdays. Earlier in the day, I asked him if I’d gotten the date right; he snapped at me saying that of course I knew I had it right. I knew that I had the date right, I just worried that I’d mixed up the year. But, I didn’t mix that up. I guess Bro Rus’s sister called him on Saturday, and she asked him if he was going to have a party. He told her no, that we didn’t do birthdays. J
Hannah, Jeni, Kathryn, and Ann made a really nice dinner along with the cake and ice cream.

Tony’s dozer broke down yesterday. Today Thomas went out and helped weld the track back together. Tony has 60 acres till he is done for this year. I guess he can do more in the spring time of the following years.

Well, I had something else to say, but the thought left me. Sorry about that. It clean went out of my head.

Talk to you later,

LATER..............

Hi. Our day started out beautifully enough, but it has turned gray and windy! We had several projects to-mostly clean up things. We put black paper around the greenhouse and put rocks on it so that we could maybe cut down on the weeds around the greenhouse. We cleaned up around the hockey rink, around the garden, around the shops, and much more. The men tore down the steps the old elementary school and finished cleaning up Cathy Purdy’s old house that was burned down in the spring.

Some of the ladies help Bro Rus put the hanging baskets out in rows for easy retrieval. We were all given several hundreds of dollars’ worth of hanging baskets today. In a few more days we’ll get flowers to plant in our flower beds. It is truly amazing.

Last night I had the privilege of taking some of the older kids out to Lisa Lake. We were there for hours—fishing, playing air soft, eating, canoeing, and talking.

Kimberli and Seth have gone to Fbks to await the arrival of their baby. In the meantime, Erica and Stacey and the Millirons are keeping the Fouse children.

Lonnie has a website for her bed and breakfast. Here is the website link: http://www.hillcrestbnb.com/index.htm Be sure to pass that along to anyone coming to Alaska. J

Thomas is planting the potatoes today with the help of Chris and Kathryn...who as you all know are first cousins....

Over the past week, Andy has been teaching a Hunter’s Safety class to some people (mostly younger kids) around here. This afternoon was test day – written and actual shooting.

LATER.........

Hi. I forgot to mention that Kimberli had her baby last Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Jordan Ryley Fouse. He’s extremely cute. I thought I took a picture of him, but I can’t find it right now. I’ll have to re-find it. Kimberli was home from Fbks later that same day!

We didn’t have service tonight because we’re going to have one tomorrow night with Jairo Roberts. Griselda will have to interpret for him since he preaches in Spanish.

We had a good service last Sunday. I was really proud of Erica, she led praise all by herself.

Everyone has been busy planting flowers and trees around their houses. The cooperative extension in Delta had a bunch of trees they were selling for $3 each. They dumped their extra choke cherry trees on us. I did my best to sell them around the farm and the ones I couldn’t sell, I planted. We’ll see how they do.

More tomorrow.

HI AGAIN!!

We had an excellent meeting with Jairo Roberts. Patrick led worship for us. I oiled my spanish lingo up and interpreted for Bro Jairo. He preached on patiently waiting to hear God’s word, and he exhorted us to stay on the path of the just. Sis Blanca shared this morning at devotions.

Chris is home from his first week of welding class. He stayed with Lonnie and Jay Miller. He caught a ride home with some boys from Tok who are also taking the class. These same boys were in Jon and Pat Lou’s EMT class taken in Tok earlier this spring.

Garth and Kim are home from Chicago. Garth won’t let too many of us near his newest grandson. He’s being a hog.

Jeni’s brother, Mike, is here visiting for a couple of weeks. He teaches HS spanish in California...speaks quite well with a slight accent....had a good time chatting w/him.

Sis JoAn is home from her trip. And, Andy and Sarah Jane have left for a two week trip to visit Bro Andy’s mom.

We got some much needed rain this week, but it still wasn’t nearly enough.

More another day.



Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
~Helen Keller

visit my blog at
http://noosfromthelastfrontier.blogspot.com/

for great alaskan photos visit
www.bysarahj.com

NEWS FROM MY SISTER KARENZA IN SPAIN

Dear Gri:

Sara from Little Rock is here and today Gracia, Maria Luisa, Sara and myself will be taking a little tour to Cadiz to show Sara the sights. She and I spent the day together yesterday and I showed her Alcala. It was entertaining to talk about old times and she appreciates you so much.

We have just ended the Convention, which was excellent, and I think the ministry is very encouraged. Today the Griers and Giles are leaving but Bro. Buddy will be here for a couple of days more, and Bro. Joe will be visiting La Linea and I will be going to interpret. Also Bro. Frank and Sandra will be travelling around Spain, so we are all very encouraged to see what God is doing.

I cannot remember if I told you but I had a wonderful time in Sept. with Gracia in Argentina. My only concern is Chi, who had all her money in Lehman Brothers, one of the banks that went down.

I am in La Linea because after the convention some ministry has stayed and I have travelled with them for interpreting. The Convention was very, very good and appreciated by most everybody. Bro. Frank and wife Sandra have been in La Linea and ministered 2 nights, now Bro. Joe McCord will minister on the weekend. I am still looking for employment, but encouraged since I could not have participated as freely as I have during convention activities if I had been working. Anyway, the Lord has been providing the necessary for my Soc. Sec. contributions. I only have one year to go, so am encouraged by His provision. Hope you are well. The Grier´s told me you were. I asked if Alexandra May will be going to Ireland and they did not know. I am considering the possibility, but it is yet to be confirmed. God bless and much love, KH

WINTER IS HERE FOR REAL!!

Hello All,

Today is Dec. 21st. Can you believe it, already? Officially this is the SHORTEST DAY OF THE YEAR AND THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER....hahaha....it's been feeling like winter since October. We've already had -40 for a short stint...hopefully not many more of those.

Weather people are saying that we have about 3-4 hours of daylight...Seems like less to us since we are in the shadow of the mountain range and therefore the horizon sun that barely peeks through is almost non-existant to us.

Still we do not complain since Barrow (on the Arctic Ocean) the city where Pat just came back from from tuning pianos (yes, pianos on the Arctic Ocean!!) is always gray and barren....I have some pictures of Barrow so you can see what I am talking about. Pat says it is a very unique place to live...no personal cars just taxi cabs...the streets are all numbered and one hops into a cab (mostly run my Asians....)and tells them "take me to 230" and off you go....weird huh?

Pat works mainly for the school district up there and some privates so he gets around a bit. Mostly populated by Eskimos, Athabascan and some white folk. The natives whizz around on their snomachines making a terrible racket during the night so Pat was glad to come home and get some sleep. Incidents of drowning snomachiners on the barren tundra are not uncommon...they go out too far on thin ice and sink.... reports of polar bear sightings that come too close to villages are not uncommon...I think they are notorious for carrying people's dogs off during the night...

Pat had a good time but was pretty tired after tuning about 30 pianos and sampling the Barrow fast food...happy to get home.

Last week we hit a moose, not broadside thank God, but enough of a clip to totally destroy the left front headlight....pretty scary. It was about 10 pm and visibility was good due to a full moon. The silly thing just plain ran in front of the car for some reason...probably got spooked...fortunately no one was hurt, including the animal, who loped off into the night. We can now say we are officially part of the Hall of Fame of Moose hitters. Neither of us had hit a moose in our 20+ years up here...always a first time I guess....

OK, am sure there is more to tell but must go....talk to you all later.....

tia gri...

GREAT TRUTHS


GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:



1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptise cats.

2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair. 

3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.

4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.

5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.

6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting you r hair. 

7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.

8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap. 




GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:



1) Raising teenagers is lik e nailing jelly to a tree.

2) Wrinkles don't hurt.

3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts. 

4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside. 

6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fibre, not the toy. 
 





GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD



1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. 

2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.

4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you 
once got from a roller coaster.

5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.

6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.



THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE: 



1) You believe in Santa Claus.

2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.

3) You are Santa Claus.

4) You look like Santa Claus. 




SUCCESS:



At age 4 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.

At age 12 success is . . . having friends.

At age 17 success is . having a drivers licence.

At age 35 success is . having money.

At age 50 success is . having money.

At age 70 success is . ... . having a drivers licence. 

At age 75 success is . . . having friends.

At age 80 success is . . . not piddling in your pants.





Pass this on to someone who could use a laugh.


Always remember to forget the troubles that pass your way; 
BUT NEVER forget the blessings that come each day. 


Have a wonderful day with many *smiles*




Take the time to live!!!
Life is too short.

ALASKA CATTLE DRIVE IN DRY CREEK

Alaska Cattle Drive

By Tommy Geyer

In the upper Tanana Valley, in the shadow of the Alaska Range, a farming and ranching tradition is being handed down from generation to generation. Modest in size compared to some of the large ranches in the lower forty-eight, it keeps us as busy as we want to be, and even a little more.

What began many years ago as a dream with a few heifer calves has grown to about sixty head of beef cattle and a small mob of horses. Recently, we had our fall roundup, an annual event that all of the young cowboys anticipate.

Each year when the first snows fall and the temperatures plummet to well below freezing, we bring the cows home from their summer range. A handful of the young men here in our community, and an occasional girl or two saddle up to drive out a small herd of beef back from the summer pastures across the Alaska Highway.

I'm not sure if you've ever seen cowboys dressed in stocking caps and Carhartts, but regular cowboy garb doesn't quite

cut the cold, biting wind that blows up in our Alaskan country. You might look at our bunch of young cowhands and shake your head, but I was impressed with their horsemanship and good cow sense.

We had plenty of help on our most recent fall roundup with six horsemen and one little cowgirl, my daughter Kerri. Kerri, age nine, was riding on an old gelding named Pogo. They call him Pogo because he is a little bouncy.

Joe and Seth left home before the other riders to try to get the cattle gathered up from the different pastures. By the time the rest of us arrived, the cattle were scattered again, heading back out to pasture to find something to eat.

It's important to make sure all cattle are gathered up together before we start. Last year, we took off with a bunch of cattle, accidentally leaving behind a dozen or so. We had to return later and bring the rest home after we discovered they were missing. Keeping the cattle all together is also very important. Most of the beef cows like to stay in a herd, but we have a couple of old milk cows that like to strike out on their own.

A few years ago we tried using hand-held radios to communicate during the roundup. But, it seems everyone knows the routine now, so why bother? Even the cows know where they are going, as some have made the trip as many times as some of the cowboys.
Once we get the cattle out of their pastures, the guys surround them and start pushing them across the hay fields. Joe gets in front (riding point) to make sure they don’t stampede. A couple of other horsemen swing in from the sides, (riding swing) to make sure none of the cows break away. The rest of the cowboys and my little cow girl push the cattle from riding drag. Yours truly generally rides drag also, in the cab of a warm pickup truck. Occasionally, I might honk the horn or even jump out if a situation arises. Generally I just yell, but nobody pays any attention.

We drift the herd through the hay fields and up the road toward the Alaska Highway. Peter and Stacey are at the highway to stop traffic or to stop the cows if necessary. Fortunately, there’s not much traffic this time of year, and the coast is clear, except for one thing. Stacey has parked her pickup right in the middle of the road just on the other side of the highway. Lucky for us, there is no traffic for miles, and we get the cows to split and start around the pickup.

Once around the truck, the cows herd up again and take off toward their wintering area at the base of the MaComb Plateau. It's just a couple of more miles from here, and except for an old black cow that heads for the woods a couple of times, things go well.

When we get to the corrals at home, we're still not finished. We sort the cattle into groups. The calves are weaned by placing them in a pen by themselves, while the cows are separated into two groups according to their body condition.

Weaning is a time that most folks dread because for two days and nights our little valley is filled with the lonely wailing of mama cows bawling for their calves. The noise is a little annoying, I suppose, but its part of the ranching tradition.

TOMMY GEYER'S NEW BOOK!!

Hi all,

A lot of people have been asking about my new book, so I thought I’d write a little blurb about it.

The book is called lady of the North, and it’s a historical novel that revolves around the Klondike gold rush in the late 1800s. It was accepted by Tate Publishing Company (Tate Publishing.com) in April 2008, and we’ve been working on it since then, getting it ready for its official release date on December 16th.

Lady of the North is classified as an Action Adventure, but it has a little bit of everything. People who have read it say that it’s addictive, and that it’s difficult to put down. There is plenty of action, high adventure, clean romance, villains, heroes and heroines.

The book will be on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, Target.com and some other online retailers including Tate Publishing’s bookstore. I’m not certain which bookstores will stock it on their shelves. I believe it will be the decision of the bookstore managers to order it or not from Tate Publishing’s distributor. I don’t understand all of the ins and outs of the way it will be marketed yet. It will also be available as an audio book and as a digital download from Tate. I think the best price will be at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It runs about 10 or 11 dollars. I’ll keep a few copies on hand here at home also.

I also wanted to say that Sarah was a big help on the project. The editing and graphics were done via email and computer, and she graciously lent her expertise. Thanks Sarah!

I hope you enjoy the book. Tommy Geyer

Frontier Freedom - You Can Make Jerky!

Frontier Freedom - You Can Make Jerky!

"Who's your daddy ?"

This is a great story. A Seminary professor was vacationing
with his wife in Gatlinburg,Tennessee.

One morning, they were eating breakfast ina little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, family meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. The professor leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." But sure enough, the man did come over to their table.

"Where are you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"Oklahoma," they answered.

"Great to have you here in Tennessee," the stranger said.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I teach at a seminary," he replied.

"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you?

Well, I've got a really good story for you."

And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple. The professor groaned and thought to himself, "Great, just what I need--another preacher story!

The man started, "See that mountain over there?" (pointing out a restaurant window). "Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question. "Hey boy, who's your daddy?" Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question. "Who's your daddy?"

He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so much. When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. He would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, "Who's your daddy ?"

But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast, he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, "Son, who's your daddy?"

The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the, question, "Who's your daddy?"

The new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to the scared little boy. "Wait a minute!" he said. "I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God." With that, He patted the boy on his shoulder and said. "Boy, you've got a great inheritance. Go and claim it."

With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, "Who's your Daddy?" he'd just tell them, I'm a child of God."

The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, "Isn't that a great story?"

The professor responded that it really was a great story! As the man turned to leave, he said, "You know, if that new preacher hadn't told me that I was one of God's children, I probably would never have amounted to anything!"

And he walked away. The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked her, "Do you know that man who just left that was sitting at our table?"

The waitress grinned and said, "Of course. Everybody here knows him. That's Ben Hooper. He's the former governor of Tennessee!"
>
Someone in your life today needs a reminder that they are one of God's children. "The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8


YOU'RE ONE OF GOD'S CHILDREN, I SEE THE RESEMBLANCE. HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

MEAT PACKING IN ALASKA OUTBACK (author wishes to remain anonymous)

Fall Meat Packing:

The Experience of a Lifetime in Alaska's High Country

Last fall I had the opportunity to accompany my son, Chris, and another friend of ours on a pack trip into the mountains. Chris had killed his first moose and had come down from his hunting camp to tell us the good news, and to get the horses for packing. I had always wanted to go on a horse packing trip and because I take lots of photos, I was invited along.

We started early in the morning. While Chris went to feed the horses, I made some sandwiches and packed. By eight in the morning, the men (our friend, Tony, and Chris) had the horses and mule caught and saddled, and we were ready to go. There was Tony, Chris, and myself, our mule, Red Man, and the horses. The horses were Copper, Ranger, Finn, Cosmo, and Pogo. I was the only gal in the entire outfit!

The first obstacle we encountered was a very steep hill (a mountain, really) called thirty-thirty. It was very long and extremely steep. Several times we had to stop on the way up to give the horses a rest.

When we crested Thirty-Thirty we were right at tree line. The trees began to grow smaller, giving way eventually to brush and then tundra. We crossed a beautiful alpine valley where long bands of thick alders stretched from the valley floor up to the Macomb Plateau. From the rim of the plateau, the tundra and barren hills continued back for several miles, eventually yielding to huge snow capped mountains and glaciers. This was the Alaska Range, and I must confess that the beauty of this country took my breath away.

The fellas have named many of the places that we were traveling over and many of these landmarks have a story to tell. There was Little Round-Top, Forbidden Valley, Skivvy-Lake Hill, Old Flat-Top, Lookout Ridge, Berry Creek Ridge, Chrome Dome, The Saddle, Stonehouse, and Two Trees to name a few. There was also Ricks Hill, Ketos Hill, Ambush Rock, The White bucket, Orange Barrel Mill, the Meadow, and so on.

We were traveling through open country now, and a very light mist was falling. Bands of caribou dotted the Plateau and several of them approached to investigate. They pranced alongside the pack string about a hundred yards away, and then after catching our wind lost interest and went back to feeding. Caribou season was over now, which was unfortunate because caribou steaks are my favorite.

The colors around me were magnificent, but already the trees and brush were losing some leaves. Acres and acres of ripe blueberries gave the tundra a purple hue in places.

For miles and miles and several hours we plodded along. No hurry today! Just enjoying the experience.

Around one o clock in the afternoon, we arrived at the East Fork Hunters Camp where my husband, Richard, and my youngest son, Seth awaited us. While the men took the horses down to load up the meat, I grabbed a snack and lay down beside the stove in the wall tent. In a couple of hours, they had returned to camp with the meat and were trying to wake me up from my nap.

We said our goodbyes then and mounted up, heading back over the same long trail we had already traveled. The horses were moving out a bit quicker now, realizing that they were heading for home. Red Man, Finn, and Cosmo were loaded down with moose meat, and Finn had a set of antlers tied to his pack saddle.

We rode down out of the high country leaving behind another world that few people ever have the privilege of seeing.

Darkness overtook us as we descended down the steep mountain, but the sure-footed horses knew the trail home. It was well after dark when we arrived. After putting away the horses, feeding them, and hanging the moose meat, we were finished. And I do mean finished! But the experience, the memories, and the opportunity to behold Gods creation in its entire splendor are treasures that money cant buy.

VALDEZ TRIP W/GRADUATES, ETC.

Family and Friends'

I have been wanting to write to everybody for quite some time now. Life has been too hectic as usual. Some news about our family is that our oldest daughter May graduated on May 17th. Amazing to think that we already have 2 graduates! Time flies of course!

I have gotten some news from some of you via others. Glad to hear that you are all well and prospering.

Robin I loved those pictures of you and the kids!

WHEN RINGO WENT DOWN I TRIED PHANPHARE AND FAEBOOK….LOG INTO FB WHICH IS THE ONE I USE THE MOST TO KEEP IN TOUCH.

Claudia thanks for the update on where you guys are now. Hope no more calamities strike your way! You are brave folks to live there...your children are lovely! All my best to you all.

Weather here is slowly turning into summer but still around F 50 which is rather chilly...flowers and garden greens are coming along nicely and we are all enjoying the outdoors.

Our oldest Pat is living with us for the time being but getting ready to go hunting as a guide to some rich foreigners which is something he is looking forward to. He will return to his welding certification courses next fall, he is doing well and we will miss him very much when he leaves.

May is staying busy and enjoying her new freedom as a young adult. She is still preparing to go to Ireland in the near future.

Annie is 15 and has turned into a lovely young lady. Plays the piano and paints quite well. We are hoping to get her some art courses via correspondence through one of the school in the city.

Robin is doing well, I have him on a modified school curriculum in which he concentrates on Math, Reading and Writing. He works on his own clock but the end result should be something which will make him as independent and happy as possible. We are pleased with him. He is very gregarious, funny, and talkative. Everybody enjoys him and he is a blessing to our family.

The graduates and self went on a Glacier cruise in Valdez which is fishing town on the coast. We saw some of the most amazing glaciers, probably some of the largest in the world. We even witnessed some of them "calving" which is what they do when large chunks of ice break away from the main of ice. It makes a sound like a roaring train or plane.

Wildlife abounded such as: sea lions, puffins, humpback whale, seals, eagles, mountain goats, bears, dolphins, sea otters,etc. quite a fascinating trip. It took about 9 hours of cruising around fiords and glacier ice on a large catamaran built for that purpose. A good time was had by all but we were all glad to get our feet on "terra firma" at the end of it...and hot showers!

Wish some of you could manage a trip to Alaska in the summer and fall, it is quite breathtaking!

Well, no more for now. Keep in touch when you can and let us know how you are doing.

God bless and take care.

Gri et all (pat Sr. PatLu, May, Annie & Rob)