Duluth, MN

Last Monday it was a snowy, cold day as we made our way over to Duluth. It is just under a four hour trip from our house. Far Guy had a great time in the Hobby Shop..it was filled to the brim with railroad items..and antiques too..it was very interesting. He did make a few purchases, some stuff for his trains. I will have to tell you more about his trains ..someday! 

While Chance and I waited outside we had a photo op. This area has a whole bunch of bars..they were doing a brisk business..everyone seemed friendly enough..just a little drunk..it was barely noon.   I love to photograph Chance with Black and White things! 

This is the Lighthouse at Canal Park. Since it was fairly cold and snowing there were no crowds of people, there was one other dog, a Weimaraner with a huge florescent orange plastic bat...we could tell he was a city dog..his owner had a huge fuzzy red haired hat. 

We waited for a ship to come into the canal. Chance hopped up onto the raised flowerbed himself..it made his view more interesting. He just sat there and watched people and the birds. NO, it was not my ship either..this one was the Arthur M Anderson..

Chance was just fine until the ship blasted it's horn, he was off his perch in a flash and hiding under the bench.. he wanted to go back to the car..NOW.. to heck with the noisy ship. The friendly greeting of the ships horn a long and two shorts didn't mean a hill of beans to Chance.  He didn't think it was at all neighborly or polite. 

The Aerial Lift Bridge at Canal Park is very interesting to watch. I had forgotten that you can hear the car tires whirring over the bridge's roadway. There was other whirring too, there was a crew weedwacking all the foliage from the day lilies..they were getting their Fall haircut. Irritating noises.  Many cars were going to and from the Island of Park Point.. ( This is where I would live, if I lived in Duluth..it is like being on the Ocean) A long time ago, Far Guy thought he might apply for a job in Duluth..we took the girls and looked over the area..we took them swimming off of Park Point..I was sold, but he decided against applying for a job there. Anyway, back to the bridge..it is on the National Registry of Historic Places and if you don't see anything else in Duluth, you should see this! It lifts to allow ships into the harbor..I have always wondered about the lives of the bridge keepers, they must appreciate going to work everyday to such a beautiful view.

View of Lake Superior.  Yes, I know, the sky and water look the same. 

We found our way to Hawk Ridge, with the snow and murky skies not many birds were seen migrating. On a clear day this place must be magnificent..hopefully I will come back again someday. I would love to see some Eagles or Falcons..oh and Hawks! On a clear day thousands of birds can be seen migrating between this ridge and Lake Superior in September and October. The people there were very friendly and bored..

We wound our way back down the hill..looking for The Seven Bridges Road..we never found it..but we did find Lake Superior again. Chance loves water and he found the rocks quite to his liking. It must have seemed like an adventure to him. Far Guy hiked down the steep embankment..I stayed up on top..the crazy dog kept running up and down the hill between us. He got some exercise..it was a long day in the car for him. On the way back home we stopped at a deserted park and played ball for awhile. It was dark when we got home..and it was snowing:)
October: Wet, cold dreary days= 9 Sunny crisp days =2 Snowy cold days = 3 ( Snowy Day 4 in progress)

Wistful Wednesday : 1930

My Mother was born in October of 1929, this photograph must have been taken in the spring of 1930.   She could barely sit up by herself so I believe she was about six months old.   My Mom is in this photograph with her older brother Alfred, he would have been two years old in June of 1930.  He died when he was nineteen years old in 1947.   Since then my Mom has taken over as the oldest in the family.  My Mom had eleven brothers and sisters, only four of them are still living.

Mom was eighty yesterday, she said " Years ago, If someone had told me that I would live to be eighty, I would never have believed them."

What I like about this photo..well first of all, I like to think that someone was holding onto the back of this baby that looks like she is about to topple over.  ( I have done  this on occasion with the grands when they were little)  I like Alfred's knickers and tights, and the big ribbons in his shoes.  I imagine his knickers and vest were blue, and my Mom's dress a pale pink.  At least that is what I see beyond the black and white:)

***I repaired this photo, It had a very large crease in it..of course I can tell where it was..can you?

Chance: A Minnesota Adventure

Hey,  It is me again.. the blogging Border Collie.  Yesterday we got up early and left, it was almost a four hour trip east. Far Guy wanted to go to a special hobby shop..he has a couple of Trains. Far Side said "Okay, as long as we can stop to take photos! " We went to the hobby shop first, we didn't get lost or anything..Far Side took me for a walk, she walked a little far, and all of a sudden she turned tail and headed for the car..mumbling something about me not being a guard dog..and we were in a seedy part of town..I wouldn't know about that ..I was way too interested in all the strange smells. Far Side won't let you eat anything you find on the street either..she is pretty picky. She talked to some people all bundled up in coats, but still shivering, she introduced me to them. She was a little nervous..we finally sat down in front of the local Cop Shop and watched people on the streets for awhile until Far Guy came out and rescued both of us. Then we got back in the car ... this time it was only a short drive. 

Can you see me? I am a little short..can you guess where I am yet? Hint: We are still in Minnesota.

Peek a boo..how about now? Any Ideas? Hint: It is cold and snowy, there is water and loud noises.

I got to run free, I am out of here. It is snowing, we should head home before it turns into a Blizzard. Hint : The sand here is a funny color red..

See I am running off into the sunset, well if there was a sunset..I am definitely running the correct way. I bet you know where I am at now? Hint : A funny looking bridge!

I guess I better wait for the old folks to catch up..they finally do..and then they talk about a ship coming in..I hope it is the "Ship" that Far Side sometimes talks about..Ya Know. "When my ship comes in I will probably be at the train station or the airport."

Yes, we are at Duluth, and a ship is coming in....so we will wait..just in case it is Far Sides ship. I have never seen a ship before..Far Side says she will have more Photos for you on Thursday:)

A Thousand Words : Baseball

Keep your eye on the ball!  This is our great nephew Mason, he is just four years old..he is a very good ball player!  Yes, he connected with this ball, I hollered "Run, Mason, Run"  what fun to watch little kids play ball:) 

Autumn Joy

One of my favorite fall plants is Sedum 'Autumn Joy' she isn't fussy, she can survive almost anywhere. The deer do like to mow mine down..they must be tasty.

They stay green all summer and then in the fall they turn a rosy pink/red. I have learned never to plant them along a walkway. In the fall they attract a huge amount of bees and wasps and all kinds of insects with stingers. I have one more clump to move.. maybe next spring.

See they even look lovely all covered in snow. This photo was taken on Oct 10, 2009.

They can complement other plants in your perennial garden. I took this photo recently in town, someone knew what he was doing in this perennial bed.. the texture and colors work really well together this time of year.

Another crappy cloudy, dreary day..cold too.. Cold, wet dreary days in October=8. Sunny and crisp=1. Snow and cold=1. Indian Summer where are you? :)

I say sNOw

Yesterday, the sun was shining, it was about time, it was our first day of sunshine in October. I loved it, I soaked up some rays..and captured some leaves.

Ah Fall..you have it all, beautiful colors, warm sunshine, blue skies...

In the afternoon, the snow clouds loomed on the horizon. Maybe they will go north, maybe they will track south..they might miss us...they might

Last night it began to sNOw.

This morning, we have been transported from Fall into Winter. Just like that, yanked into winter, almost without warning. No I don't like snow, or winter, it is way too early for winter to begin..I don't have the lawn furniture put away yet..it just needed two days of sunshine to dry off. Two lousy days, and we just got one. I don't have my parka out yet, I guess I will have to get it out..and those red crocs I really like..I guess those will have to be put away. I have had my snow boots out for a few days now, not in anticipation of snow, just because my feet got cold outside. What happened to global warming..it has not made it to Minnesota yet. It is exactly 30 degrees F (-1 C) out now, next February that will be a warm spell, I would be out there enjoying the warm balmy weather..not so much today:(

October, dreary cold rainy days = 8, sunny crisp days=1, first snowy day in progress.

Big Hill Country Adventure

Yesterday, late in the afternoon we went on an adventure. Far Guy took me for a ride into "The Big Hill Country". I made the mistake of asking him where he thought the biggest hills were in our area, he used to deer hunt back in the big hills, and he knew where there used to be a pretty little lake. I have been north and south of the big hills but never through them. We took the pickup it has more clearance than the car, we might need it in the hills. ( For those of you familar with the area, we were south of Hwy #34, we went into the hills heading east off of the Pickerel Lake Road.)

I didn't pack a snack or anything to drink, and we didn't tell anyone where we were going.. I should have left a note on the table, next time I will. When I got into the truck I noticed a busted belt on my seat, I asked what does this belong too? Far Guy replied, "'To my truck, I think it is the air conditioning belt." You think? What if it is something more important? "Then we won't make it very far." Alrighty then.

We went further and further into the woods, the road got very narrow. I think we might have been on a snowmobile/four wheeler trail.

There were big mud holes. Many of them....we went up one hill and down the other side into a mud hole. Far Guy says "I don't remember the lake being this far back in here."

I said "I have no idea, but the road kinda resembles a footpath." Far Guy says "Oh well, we know where we are at and we are only two miles off the main road." There were huge rocks and roots in the road, it was becoming treacherous. I was getting nervous. We nearly got stuck in one mud hole, it was really deep. The road is getting rougher, I had unbuckled my seat belt so I could hang out the window and take some photographs. We are bouncing around so much, my head hits the roof of the truck..I should have worn a helmet. I started taking photographs..Far Guy said "What in the world are you taking photographs of? " I said, "I am establishing a record, when they find our bodies, they can look at the photographs, they will tell the story."

He finally said " I think we should turn around and go back." Really..ya think?? I helped to find a place without stumps, logs or rocks to turn around..not easy. Chance must have been listening, he is pretty smart. When we got turned around, we both breathed a sigh of relief..and Chance came out of the back seat, and into my lap, and then proceeded to wiggle himself down in between my legs and the dash, he wanted to hide on the floor where it was safe. We both started to giggle and couldn't stop..laughter is sometimes a great stress reliever.

We made it back to the main trail ..what an adventure! We did come across a lake eventually, a number of them. Then we came across some private lakes and some farms..a very pretty area. We were on a road that we knew existed, just one we had never explored before. We made it back home well before dark. The sun might actually shine today..so perhaps we will have another adventure to report on tomorrow:)

Ah-ha Moment

Sometimes I get the feeling that I am in the right place at the right time..two of those ah-ha moments have happened to me recently.

The first one was back in July at Lefty's, along the river in town. I was trying to photograph an Oriole when all of a sudden out of nowhere a bird landed on my arm, his feathers brushed my arm as he swooped in for a landing. He just sat on my arm, I looked at him, he looked at me, we made eye contact..he flew off onto a lawn swing and I took his photograph. Then he flew away. It was strange, I felt as though I had been kissed by a bird. Much later in the summer a comment at the Pow Wow about the possibility of a spirit bird..got me to thinking..had I already encountered a spirit bird? It is a good thing that I didn't scream like a girl and scare that bird half to death. A long time ago we had parakeets and a cockatiel so flying birds don't scare me. If it was a spirit bird..who was it? Maybe it was Charlie, whatever, just thinking about Charlie makes me smile.

Ah -ha number two was yesterday. Chance and I were bored stiff, it was the seventh day of cold spitting rain..we headed out to scowl at the rain and do a little stop the rain dance. We just drove, picking gravel roads, where there is little or no traffic. We have things to check on, the patch of Milkweed in a nearby ditch, I want to get a few seeds before it is mowed down..I am too late, the mower guy has already been busy with his big honking ditch mower, I hate that guy, he obliterates all the photogenic dried seed heads that will soon be covered with frost. We have to check the river, the water level is slowly coming up with all the rain. We drive aimlessly after that..then all of a sudden we see a herd of deer. Oh boy, Chance is primed to bark, they are on his side of the car, there is no way I can get a photo, it was a mass of white tails in the air as they headed for the safety of the woods. Well that was fun! Right or straight..which way to go?? Sometimes you pick the correct way, sometimes you don't. Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you had gone straight ahead? I turned right..luckily for me that is where the ah- ha moment unfolded.

( Doncha just love the way I can drag out a tale?) Okay, exactly how many horses does Joe have? ( Violet never really knows for sure. ) I love to watch the horses kick up their heals and run, imagining that I am riding bareback, flying along, the wind in my hair, the smell of wet horse filling my nostrils, the earth moving faster and faster beneath the valiant steeds hoofs..OKay..enough daydreaming.. the horses came running.

See they are happy to see us!

What happens next is magical, like something out of the beginning of the old western "Bonanza" where the horses and the riders come running and line up perfectly.

Not just a few either..and there are no riders.. I counted fifteen, but it was a quick count, the photos only show fourteen. Then I felt bad, I can't even share the photos with Joe, cause then Violet will have proof he has more than just a couple of horses. Chance and I enjoyed the horses for quite some time, finally we drove on..content with our ah-ha moment:)

Wistful Wednesday : A Wedding

This is a photograph of my parents and their relatives that were part of the wedding party in 1950.

Left to right, Delbert ( Moms Brother), Roy (Dads Cousin) Dad, Mom, Vivian "Skip" ( Moms sister) Anna (Dads Sister). They got married at eight o'clock in the evening in a tiny little church in the country.

**************

My Mother writes: " The night we got married Oct 07, 1950 my Mom and Dad had dinner at their home for us all. My Mother in Law to be said, when Papa and I got married we got married on one bushel of love. You have to keep adding to it everyday because what you take out, you have to put back."

*************

My parents had planned to get married in November, but my Dad was going into the Army and leaving earlier than he thought, so he told my Mom he was leaving on a Saturday and the next Saturday they got married and nine days later he left.

Far Guy and I had breakfast with them this morning...they both said " It was just like this the day we got married, rainy and cold ..59 years ago." :)

October 07, 2009

Fall Color This Week

It has been raining and cold all of October, the fall color is not yet peak, maybe by the weekend. I am tired of the rain, and the dreariness..I need me some sunshine. I have to wear socks with my crocs now, either that or get out my snow boots.

Our Burr Oaks are turning brown and the leaves are starting to litter the ground. I have to wait for the lawn furniture to dry out before putting it away for the winter. After a couple of frosts..the bugs are pretty much gone..except for the Deer Ticks, the little tiny ones, about the size of a pin head. Chance had a couple crawling on him. We have way too many deer, if someone was allowed to control the deer population..we wouldn't have so many ticks. I like deer, just not so many of them.

The driveway has a little color. It was a different kind of summer for us, cool and dry, Fall is starting out wet and cold, and the leaves seem to be taking their sweet time losing their chlorophyll.

We went for a drive yesterday afternoon, over in the Pickerel Lake area, the fall colors are coming along. They have some colorful Maples over there. The Minnesota DNR web site has us at 50 to 75 percent color. I would say that report is pretty accurate.

I love the rich colors that the turning leaves assault your eyes with. It is a triumphant end to their summer season..the last hurrah..before the snowy cold death like fingers of winter grab out and strangle them until spring sunshine orders winter to surrender the trees held in a wintery trance:)

Big Guy With An AXE

Where in the world is Chance now? I had him sit inside Paul Bunyans hand over at Akeley, Minnesota. This statue of Paul is just one of many that you will find in Minnesota. The legend of Paul and Babe using Minnesota for a playground, their footprints forming the depressions that filled with water and became the 10,000 lakes was always a favorite of mine.

Chance was not very happy, but he sat for a photo anyway.

When we were over at Hackensack, Minnesota I took a photo of Paul Bunyans Sweetheart, Lucette Diana Kensack. There is some argument between towns, Brainerd thinks his wife's name was Pauline. Hackensack says "NO" they have proof as they have the marriage license. Poor Lucette, a few years back she lost her head in a storm..apparently the good citizens of Hackensack felt sorry for her and did a head reattachment.

July 03, 2009 Bemidji, Minnesota..most of our family.

Up in Bemidji you will find Paul and Babe the Blue Ox. He is stuck in time at the waterfront. I wonder if school children are still exposed to "Tall Tales"? I wondered what do my Grandchildren know about Paul Bunyan? So I called them and spoke to them individually..

The Question? What do you know about Paul Bunyan?

Savannah Age 13, He is very tall and has an ox that is blue. That ox was frozen that is why he is blue. They made the Grand Canyon and all the lakes in Minnesota.

Madison Age 11, He is a logger that carries an axe, the lakes were all formed out of his footprints. He has a blue ox named Babe that carries his luggage, and he can eat 10,000 pancakes for breakfast.

Paige Age 10, The Telephone Service or the big guy? (Their phone company is called Paul Bunyan) The big guy Paige... OK.. He is a lumberjack and has an axe. Babe is his buddy..that's about all I know.

Noah Age 10, I know hardly anything, he has never really come up. He has an ox called Babe, a blue ox, and babe has a girlfriend and it is a cow.

Adam Age 8, He is a log chopper, he has a blue ox named Babe. Babe used to be white but he laid in the blue snow for five years and then turned blue.

I loved their answers, all individual, all different. Madison loves pancakes herself so that would be a bit of information that she would remember. She said "Thanks Grandma, for letting us be your suspects..I mean subjects. " Then I could hear Paige in the background hollering "What a suck up." While I was talking to Adam, I had a very hard time trying not to giggle.. he is such a cute storyteller. Thanks kids..you all did great! :)

The Last Roses Of Summer

These are my Roses that are supposed to be climbers, they are called William Baffin. I have a hard time getting them to climb. I want them to go up, but they just kind of arch..and bloom. They always put on a fairly nice show in September.

Years ago I used to have them next to the grain bin and they were loving the fish net there and climbing well..then Far Guy built the arbor for me..and I moved them. One morning I was outdoors and went to sit on one of the garden benches, a deer was eating my roses..it stomped it's feet at me. Our dog Captain, a Sheltie was very old, and deaf, and his eye sight was poor..the Deer stomped their feet at him all summer, it was probably a good thing he couldn't hear or see them. The deer apparently liked the smorgasbord that was available in my gardens, and really liked my roses. I wonder what roses taste like to the deer. Is it like a Nut Goodie Candy Bar, or licorice or a Double Fudge Brownie Delight at Dairy Queen, or is it just a different kind of salad?

The Canadians have great roses and they produce roses that are hardy in Minnesota. It is my understanding that the Morden Research Station will no longer be working with roses, however a group of individuals is anxious to take over to help preserve the roses. One article I read said that three million roses were sold every year just in Canada. The Canadian Roses..Parkland or the Explorer series are all roses that are grown from their own roots, they are not a grafted rose. They are also not your three for ten bucks roses sold at some stores. And no they have never developed a yellow climbing rose. I believe that is one of the questions that they are asked most often. They have 26 acres of arboretum and display gardens up there in Morden, Manitoba. I might have to add a trip there to my bucket list:)

*** It is rainy and cold here, these photos were taken September 03, 2009.

Beds

Years ago, probably around 1980 we bought a water bed, not a fancy one..just a regular big ole balloon filled with water. We were a water bed family, we bought the girls each one too..super singles. We have replaced our mattress many times over the past 29 years, never graduating to the one with baffles or soft sides. You get used to the sloshing and the ripples..at times they are very comforting. It was also a heated waterbed, deliciously warm. Then one of us became menopausal, and fairly miserable, spending time out of the very warm bed, and on the couch. Almost always starting out in the bed , but still on the couch by morning. Then one of us started to have pain in his face, and became a very fitful sleeper with hips that hurt every morning. So we went together to two different bed stores..did you know that Vera Wang has her own mattress brand..well If you ask me no mattress is worth 2,ooo dollars.. If she were the only bed maker in America I would raise geese and save their feathers for a feather bed. Far Guy laid on one of her beds and said this is great, let's take this one..it was the first one he laid on. How typical is that? He moved on, I moved on, we tested a whole bunch, after awhile they all become a blur..Far Guy accused me of falling asleep on several occasions, I was just testing..he was like a jack in the box bed tester, he would holler from across the show room, "Hey Sleepyhead, get over here and try this one out." when I was just starting to get comfortable. All the salesmen were on him like a fly on shit. Sounded like a bunch of gobbly gook to me, coils, latex, memory foam.. I just want comfort and a good price. I don't ever really want to know about the why..lets just cut to the chase, what is your best deal and you better deliver for free or the deal is off.

Now that the new bed is coming, the water bed must be drained. We finally figure out how we did it the last time when we refinished the waterbed frame. We want to use our frame. it has drawers underneath the bed frame. It also matches all our pine bedroom furniture. ( It only took us thirty five years of marriage to finally get a bedroom set where it ALL matched) Far Guy has measured, and he thinks we need to cut twelve inches off the sides and three inches off the ends. He must have looked at the measuring instrument incorrectly..cause when I looked at it..we only had to cut off three inches from the length. We work together well, and we finished hauling the pieces out to the workshop, cutting them off and carting them back in, and we had it all back together about five minutes before they delivered the mattress. Now would it fit.. YES...we must have measured right..finally.

Far Guy tried to nap, he just watched TV, Chance had a nap. Last night was the real test, I made it until five AM ..Far Guy said "Are you leaving me? " No, just the bed, I went to the couch, grabbed my blanket and slept like a log. Far Guy could have come out to the other couch instead he stayed the duration, and said " What have I done? That was like sleeping on a bed of nails." I told him it wasn't that bad, it was kinda like a bed of roses with a few thorns. In a week or two we will be used to it, it will just take some time.:)

***All photographs taken at a friends, on September 15, 2009..she loves to weed!

Shot

Yessiree, my arm is sore, the Nurse was ruthless, I thought I could be brave like the five year old boy that went in just prior to me..he was very brave, he didn't even whimper. The nurse was built like a lumberjack, she screamed "Sit in the chair" I sat down, she commanded me to "Relax" ..easy for her to say, I asked how painful was it going to be, passing out painful or piece of cake painful? She said "It will sting a little, like a bee." Well it was like she injected my arm with a whole bunch of bees, visions of that movie where the sky turns black with bees danced in my head. Far Guy smiled from outside the door, where the heck is he when I need him, he should be here holding my hand. Nope, he went to get more of the free cookies that they offered at the Flu Shot Clinic at the grocery store. He is smiling at me..how can he smile when I am in incredible pain? I should have asked for a sling to wear on my arm, cooking will most definitely not be happening with my arm all a mess.

Are you going to get a Flu Shot? The seasonal one this year contains H3N2 virus, a B virus, and Influenza A H1N1..NOT the 2009 H1N1..that one is going to cause the pandemic and thirty five percent of our population will be hospitalized, that one should be available soon. We have not discussed if we will get that one or not.

Far Guy usually gets a flu shot, I usually don't. The last time I got a Flu Shot eight or nine years ago, I was sick for a really long time with a long lasting flu. I know, I know, they say that the flu shot cannot give you the flu, that the vaccine contains a dead virus. Well perhaps it is dead and it comes alive in some people bodies..or maybe just mine.

It seems that people had been lined up all afternoon, the length of the grocery store. Far Guy called the Pharmacy at one point to find out which insurance they accepted..Aqua Crooks and Aqua Shysters was accepted, and then he asked how long the line was..he said "Really, just like high school, remember how they used to make us wait in line so long that some of the kids would pass out before they got their shots?" It is a good thing we didn't lolly-gag around in town too long before going to get our shots, there were only two more people after us, they had used all their serum up. Getting a flu shot was a fairly popular activity yesterday afternoon:)

Thursday Thoughts

I have lots of thoughts today. Some not very kind. Last weekend when it was lovely outdoors, we were out and about and saw some motorcycles. Some were riding crazy weaving in and out of the traffic lanes. Some were cut off by people in cars. It was freaking crazy. I don't have very good thoughts about motorcycle riders without helmets. I don't have good thoughts about motorcycles period. If you ride one, fine... wear a damn helmet, if you don't then sign your donor card, and tell your family of your wishes. I cried when my son in law purchased a motorcycle, I told him if he ended up dead that I was going to be mad as hell at him, and it would take a really long time for me to forgive him and I was going to holler at him for a really long time. It will soon be too cold for him to ride said motorcycle to work, thank goodness for snow. My brother out in Oregon rides a motorcycle also..I try not to think about it. Donorcycles.

I think and pray for Mag, she has been waiting for over two years to get her new lungs. She had something terrible, a genetic disorder called Alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency, it was incurable. We always knew it would have to be another families bad day, every spring and summer I would tell her " Hang on kiddo, motorcycle accident season is here again." "Your beeper is going to go off one of these days, it has to." Mag is just 45, it was her birthday a week ago, and Tuesday she got two new lungs..she got her chance..she has my prayers, you can never give up..there is always hope. I always wondered if it was the Canadian health care/ transplant system that was taking so long. Now she has to suffer through rejection and recuperation..thank goodness for Facebook..our link for news.

The donor family, how do you ever say thank you to them. Thanks for a chance, without them there would be no transplant..no hope for recovery. Their incredible sadness, must be tinged with a little spark of pride, in the gift of life that their loved ones offered. I think about them too.

What do you do when your child is hurting, sometimes you wish they were little again, when a kiss and a band aid would magically fix all their owies. When your kids grow older, the owies are sometimes massive, and no amount of kisses or band aids will help. My Cousin MJ must be feeling this way, her daughter is mourning her own daughters death from SIDs. Just two weeks old, a little girl, here one minute and gone back to heaven the next, suddenly without warning. The funeral was up in Alaska yesterday. I can only imagine the depth of their sadness, mother and grandmother grieving. I think and pray for comfort for them.

Thoughts..for the first day in October 2009. I usually can find humor in every situation..not so much today:(