Yak's Place

Once Upon a Time

2009-11-24T22:09:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, a wonderful baby girl was born in a little city high in the Sierra Mountains. She was born in the little hospital there amidst several other babies; it was on the day of a full moon. She was the most beautiful; people would peer in and say “Ah, what a beautiful baby.” Something unique about her was her alert and focused gaze, taking in this new world around her. At birth she and her mother spent a timeless moment gazing into each others eyes.
Three days later they left that hospital, on an April afternoon through streets and landscapes covered with snow. She was bundled up carefully against the cold early spring day, especially since the ride home would be in a Volkswagen with a broken passenger side window. She rode home in her mother’s arms while her father drove; you see it was before the days of the law about child safety seats.
Just like the babe of 2000 years ago and many babes since, she had visitors from near and far and gifts were brought to honor and stand in awe of her arrival. Her fathers sister had come to stay with her father while her mother was in the hospital for 3 days (yep, this was before the time of sending mothers home on the same day). Her grandmother came every other day to bring the baby freshly laundered swaddling clothing. Her father’s good friend Jim came with his wife from France, Ann. He went in to see the baby in her cradle and she smiled at him; he came out of the room with a big smile on his face “She smiled at me; she looked up at me and smiled.”
At 11 days old, the mother inquired of her friend Sharon who had also been expecting a baby in March, “what did you get?” Yes, this was before the time of ultrasound when everyone knew the gender of their baby before they were born. Sharon was not too happy, “I haven’t gotten anything yet”. The mother of the baby girl prayed for her friend and that the baby could be born soon and she took her baby girl over to visit her very pregnant friend. The next day, on the new moon, baby Adam arrived.
Like the baby of the ages, her parents were to take her on a journey, not to Egypt but around the country to visit the relatives that would not be able to visit her in the high mountains. The parents were so delighted in their baby girl they wanted to share her with all her relatives. She had the rare blessing of having many living grandparents. On her father’s side were both of his parents and both of their parents and even a great great grandmother. On the mother side were both of her parents, one great grandmother, a great step-grandfather, and another step-great grandmother. So, they went on a journey and visited all the grandparents, aunts and uncle, except the one great great grandmother. Their journey took them to Santa Cruz, Orangevale and Los Angeles California, to Phoenix, Arizona and finally to the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
To be continued . . .

debryan50@comcast.net has a new email address

2009-09-04T15:28:00.001-05:00

TrueSwitch

Debi & Bryan MacKay has a new e-mail address

Our home email address has changed. Please add my new email address, debryan50@verizon.net to your address book.

Note: This message was ! sent by TrueSwitch at the request of debryan50@verizon.net

The Bachelor (February 2009)

2009-02-09T19:34:00.001-05:00

Here's my pre-show prediction as of 7:31 pm Feb 9th:

Jillian to go home 1st

Naomi next week

Molly following

Engagement to Melissa

Scripture Study on-line

2009-01-09T13:02:00.001-05:00

For those of us addicted to being on-line ~ we can still study scriptures - one available site that is easy to use: www.lds.org - then click on prepare a lesson / scriptures - then you can click on old or new testament (they use the King James version) - select a chapter and there you are - then there are underlined topics that can be clicked to show cross-references to other verses on the same topic.

New Testament

Romans 15: 4 For whatsoever things were ^awritten aforetime were ^bwritten for our ^clearning, that we through ^dpatience and comfort of the ^escriptures might have ^fhope.

I looked under hope - here was a reference - not sure why it is included - doesn't mention the word hope, but I like it.

1 Cor. 1: 10

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no ^adivisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same ^bmind and in the same judgment.

Ye must press forward, having a perfect brightness of hope, 2 Ne. 31: 20

If ye have faith, ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true, (Heb. 11: 1). Hope comes of faith and maketh an anchor to the soul, (Heb. 6: 17-19). The Holy Ghost fills you with hope, (Rom. 15: 13).

Romans 15: 4 For whatsoever things were ^awritten aforetime were ^bwritten for our ^clearning, that we through ^dpatience and comfort of the ^escriptures might have ^fhope.

I like this scripture - actually - this is the scripture that showed up my door this morning by a Jehovah's Witness who was canvassing the neighborhood on the bright & very cold day. To me, it is not just about writings that are cannonized scripture but writing by people in general - authors writing to people of the future (even a not too distant future) and strangers - unknown people - it is their way of touching us or of us touching others.

Writing is how we homo sapiens pass along our learning, so that each of us doesn't have to learn from scratch. A great deal of information we pass along ~ & now the internet - information passing to the max. So, now we have to sort out true information from fanciful or deceitful information and discern how to use it. . . .

Thinking, Working, Moving, Loving

2008-12-10T11:45:00.001-05:00

I was just thinking . . . my biggest problem in life has been right inside my own head. Sometimes the thoughts that whirl around are not original or helpful; they are sometimes stereotypes that have been floating around out there in the world. "I" have to take control of my thoughts - "I" being that part of my brain or being that wants to influence my destiny for the good.

Those other thoughts in my brain - the "reptilian" brain as I've heard it described - they could destroy my marriage, my employment or work, my body, my hopes & dreams. Oh, I've heard they have their place and need some degree of compassion and respect - they are part of me too, but . . .

Excuse me for rambling; it's just my way. If you don't like it, you may just need to go read some other blog. I'm thinking about a time in my life - I think I was about 25 or 26 years old at the time. I was working at a hospital in the basement where the computer room was located - and also the morgue. Only part of the basement was finished - Other parts were merely a large crawl space with the ground not even concreted. Old records were kept under there. Actually there weren't ever dead bodies under there while I was there, but it was available in case of a disaster. I worked there on the graveyard shift, coming in around 11 pm and leaving with the light about 7 in the morning.

I remember struggling with depression during this time - I don't think it was really chemical depression, I think there were things in my life worthy of that feeling. For one thing, I had a 4 1/2 year old daughter at home and what I really wanted to do was be a stay-at-home mom. So I was gone during the night while she was sleeping but in the day when I was home with her I was sleeping - so what was she up to while her mom was sleeping? And, I had a teenage stepson who had raped a girl; of course I could not talk about that to anyone - it was too horrible to talk about. And he was still living with us - for nearly 6 months - it took that long to drag out the time for him to go to trial; taking him to psychologists and slow court proceeding. Eventually he did get sentenced to a mental hospital that had a sex offenders unit; what a relief to have him gone! He was there for 2 or 3 years and didn't live with us after that. My first husband had committed suicide nearly 4 years earlier; I still experience post traumatic stress relative to that but it has lessened significantly over the years. And I was up in the night, exhausted.

So, I was reading a Christian book about depression as a sin and it recommended the process of repentence to overcome the depression. I am not making a judgement about that. I tried to do as the book recommended and pray for forgiveness for my depression and since I worked alone in the basement in the middle of the night there was no problem; I often was on my knees trying to work out the depression. Sometimes I would want to go home so badly and there would be a tug-of-war in my brain - stay and make money we need or go home and be with my little girl. My neighbor Mary Ann had quit working when she started having babies; she said if her husband was not making enough money, she would stay home no matter what and let her husband rise to the challenge. Hmm - how different would my life have been if I had taken that approach (I'm not sure if this sentence should end with a question mark or an exclamation point). Would he have arisen to the occasion - would we have stayed happily married - I think the answer is "no" both ways. Why did I have to go through this marriage? Or did I? Why did I do it?

Well we make certain decisions in our life and there are blessings and troubles at each turn. It's like the game of chess & redoing the past - if we take back some of our "mistakes", we may also lose some of the blessings that came along that route as well. We may lose friends and family - but we may have gained other friends and family along another path . . . we can't say for sure.

My deadly sins

2008-12-01T10:07:00.001-05:00

<table style="width: 400px; background-color: #000000; border: 1px solid #110000;" cellspacing="1"><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Greed:</b></td><td style="background: #220011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Low
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 40px; background: #330077;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Gluttony:</b></td><td style="background: #220011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Low
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 50px; background: #330077;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Wrath:</b></td><td style="background: #220011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Low
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 46px; background: #330077;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Sloth:</b></td><td style="background: #330011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Medium
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 94px; background: #660033;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Envy:</b></td><td style="background: #330011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Medium
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 66px; background: #660033;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Lust:</b></td><td style="background: #220011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Low
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 40px; background: #330077;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width: 85px; border: none; padding: 7px; background-color: #331111;"><b style="color: #ffffff; font: bold 13px arial, 'sans serif';">Pride:</b></td><td style="background: #220011; width: 85px; border: none; font: normal 13px arial, 'sans serif'; padding: 7px; color: #ffffff;">Low
</td><td style="border: none; background-color: #331111; width: 200px; vertical-align: middle; padding: 5px; padding-left: 0px;"><div style="height: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; border-left: none; font-size: 8px; padding: 0px; line-height: 8px; width: 58px; background: #330077;"> </div></td></tr></table><br>
The <a href="http://www.4degreez.com/misc/seven_deadly_sins.html" target="_top">Seven Deadly Sins Quiz</a> on <a href="http://www.4degreez.com/">4degreez.com</a>

Puns Alert

2008-09-17T05:31:00.001-05:00

> PUNS ALERT!
>
> 1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He
> acquired his size from too much pi.
>
> 2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to
> be an optical Aleutian.
>
> 3. She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
>
> 4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a
> weapon of math disruption.
>
> 5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his
> work.
>
> 6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
>
> 7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.
>
> 8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
>
> 9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking
> into it.
>
> 10. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
>
> 11. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to
> the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a-head.'
>
> 12. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.
>
> 14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'
>
> 15. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his
> grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'
>
> 16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned
> veteran.
>
> 17. When ca nnibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.
>
> 18. Don't join dangerous cults, practice safe sects!
>

Decoding

2008-05-11T15:17:00.001-05:00

Communication - no wonder it's so complicated - we encode things. We learn about it in networking class, encryption class, in computing theory, in linguistics, in religion.

So, we send another person a message - it can be a straightforward direct message or we may be sending a message "between the lines". And children learn it early on - so we're sending all these encoded messages - but on the receiving end, we're left with needing to decode the messages. We encode them for all sorts of reasons. Some of it is cultural, some within families, some political.

So, the mom may say "gee, the garbage is piling up" What she means is "please, take out the garbage; that's your job". So, it can be a gentler way to state a command. Or, "would you like to take out the garbage?" - but the answer could be "no, not really".

"Would you like a tic tac?" can be interpretted "That breath could knock over a walrus!"

"Cozy cottage for sale." could mean "This fixer-upper is SMALL."

This week we had a little family communication crisis. I said, "Would you like to babysit?"

It might look like a direct communication. But, it was decoded "You don't want me to come along".

Was it a direct communication? Yes, but it did have some hidden message in it - but the hidden message was "I trust you, I know you can handle a big responsibility".

Well, thanks to some maturity on all parts we got it straightened out & it had to do with the frame of reference of both parties at the time. So are there some lessons here? Well, hmm... on the surface you could say, "be more direct", "don't take things at face value", or "don't read things into it". But I guess what is best (on the receiving end) is checking into it - "Is this what you meant?" or on the sending end "I have a compliment for you" or "May I make a suggestion." I guess the encodings & decodings are to soften messages & make us feel less vulnerable - or they can be ways of saying things people wouldn't have the nerve or good manners to say. If it is serious, we may need to get help if we can't be direct.

Not everyone will like us. But some people will love us. Moral of the story - "Check it out".

And in sending our messages - "Is it true, Is it necessary, Is it kind?" can be our guide.

Enlightenment

2008-02-24T21:32:00.001-05:00

Well, I know I'm a slow one to become enlightened . . . but I've just come to a new opinion on Capital Punishment - I am now formally against it. What did that - well, we saw a Miss Marple mystery on tv & the murderer was hanged at the gallows - well, we wondered about, we didn't think there was capital punishment in Britain - well there was a lot of it - grusome - but it ended awhile back - I think in the 1950's - & then it listed the executions for 2007 - about 350 wordwide & this wasn't news but I guess seeing it right there on the screen and reading about it a little made it a little more clear to me how barbaric the practice is - true sometimes the people being punished were also barbaric - but if we want to be more civilized as a whole, we need to be more civilized as a government.

Also, my daily pic for president has changed - today's pic is Hillary Clinton - why? I heard a speech by Bill Clinton on the radio on the way home from the yoga conference - Well, it sounded a lot better coming from Bill - no one likes to hear someone blow their own horn - but Bill told of all the good things Hillary has done & all the good plans she has - taking care of our soldiers, regardless of if the war was a good idea, medical care for people, and he explained the situation in Iraq in a way that made sense to me. He said the situation in Iraq comes down to making a couple difficult decisions - how to share the oil & how to share the power. He said as long as we're there, they will put off making those decisions. He said if there was a fire next door & our neighbor needed a place to stay most of us would let them sleep in our guest bedroom & if we didn't have a guest bedroom we'd let them stay on our couch for a month or maybe 6 months - but after 5 years, the situation would probably no longer be about the fire. He said that is our current situation in Iraq. Also, he did say that Hillary would continue to fight terrorism, but that the place would be Afghanistan where they still are - not in Iraq. That made sense to me.

Pretty cute, huh?

2007-12-09T17:58:00.001-05:00

2 American Cuties for the Price of a Haircut

2007-03-13T14:20:00.000-05:00

My first sonnet

2007-02-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

My dear doggie, you are so brave and true,
Your look, your gaze, Oh that a dog could speak.
I could write seventeen sonnets 'bout you,
Thou it may take a bit more than a week.

People ask "what breed of dog have you there?"
My reply, "An American Cutie".
"That's the kind I want!! It is fairly rare."
As you back in a bush, to your duty.

Oft times I profess that human you are,
On four legs, dressed in your furry disguise,
You chase your tail or roll in manure;
You are very smart, but alas not wise.

You are wearing an animal mantel;
You know our language and words, but can't spell.

Birding at Joshua Tree National Park

2007-01-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

I seem to have a double life (maybe we all do). My life at home, and my life away. I am now back home after spending a little over a month away. During that time I spent nearly a week at Joshua Tree National Park with my husband, Ky. It is a place where two deserts converge - the high and cooler Colorado and the low and hotter Mohave.

I have enjoyed hiking for some time but now that I've been introduced to birding, a new dimension has been added our hikes. In Joshua Tree dry and deserted as it was, in January birds find a winter home (those that migrate). We met up with some common faces: mockingbirds, ravens, mallard ducks, rock pigeons, & turkey vultures. We saw some old favorites: American kestrel, coot, blue-gray gnatcatcher, flicker, Says Phoebe & yellow-rumped warbler. And we saw some life birds (those we've identified for the 1st time in our lives): cactus wren, rock wren, verdin, Gambel's quail, roadrunner, phainopepla, & Loggerhead shrike. http://www.nps.gov/archive/jotr/activities/birding/birding.html

Being the vain female that I am, I enjoy nothing more than a sincere compliment from my husband. We had planned our longest hike for the last day at the park - the "Lost Oasis" hike - 7 miles round trip. On that day the reasonably pleasant weather we'd been enjoying had changed into a cold strong incessant wind. But we headed out anyhow, ours the only car parked at the trailhead - were we crazy? One thing the birds were all taking cover too. But we were well clad enough and so proceeded on - mile after mile across a dessert with no sign of an Oasis in sight - I began to wonder if we were going to the sight of a previously existing oasis or if this were some joke. Even as we got to the 3 mile marker there were no towering palms that I could point to saying we're almost there. Finally, we came to a canyon where we walked down into the eroded ground - there were our trees not showing themselves on the horizon but hidden in this crack in the earth. The little canyon Tee'd into a larger canyon and there were palms up and down that canyon and only a trickle of water. The wind was less severe down there. We'd walked around a bit & Ky said "you ready to go?" "No, said I, there's more birds to be had here." As we waited and meandered around, birds & other people started to appear. The tall unmanicured palms provided large areas of protection for birds. Several of the California Fan Palms all with their older fronds dried and leaning down like grass skirts made a seeming common trunk at least 25 feet across. They were grand. As we sat on a rock we discovered a rock wren and then another and another - they deserve their name as they ran across the rocks and hid in crevices and then peeked out again. We said our hellos to one group coming in as we were leaving and one of them called after us (seeing that I had binoculars) - Hey ther e's a loggerhead shrike over here. We hussled back to observe this beautiful bird and share our binocs with him. He sat for us and let us soak up the view of him as some birds do not. And later as we were walking out he flew right in front of us and again let us look at him close up for awhile http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i6220id.html . A handsome bird.

Oh yes, the compliment - it came later back at the motel. Ky says to me, something like "You're quite the birder. You were right we saw 2 more life birds. Even I didn't have the patience and that's what it takes." Maybe I don't have a double life so much, but like the birds, a life of migration. Gotta fly now.

Re: Wouldn't It be great?

2006-11-16T17:58:00.000-05:00

hmm, well, I find myself in the category of being an environmentalist - i don't think that's a bad word - and I don't think being an American and being an Environmentalist are mutually exclusive. If we aren't vigilant in protecting our environment we are doomed to fates like that of Easter Island, Haiti, and Madagascar, except it is no longer just about us as a country, it is about us a whole planet of people.

The environment has been abused in the past - the consequences have been devastating - species extinctions, ecosystem destruction, civilizations have fallen - as modern people with even more power to destroy with our CO2 emissions and other technologies - it is vital that we should all be environmentally concious - many scientists are pessimistic, some religious people expect the 2nd coming soon and so feel there is no need for concern. (People have been thinking that for the last 2000 years.)

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream - his dream was that people would be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the quality of their character. I am no Martin Luther King Jr., but I have a dream too. My dream is that people 1000 years from now will still be waking up in the morning, walking outside and exclaiming "my it is an amazing and beautiful world!" My problem topic in speech class was on deforestation. My actuating speech, I'm calling the "We Believe in the Future" initiative. We owe so many blessing to the generations of people who came before us and did the courageous things they could do to benefit the world. Our generation and every one after it must become vigilant in taking care of this dear planet. We killed our Savior, are we going to destroy the gift of life as well?

Mercury & Mars or Venus are mostly CO2 atmospheres - life doesn't live there. They are like dead deserts. The deserts on Earth are spreading - the forests are shrinking. To make this Eden of a planet into a barren place with only domesticated animals left and reduced bird, fish, and sea coral populations is indeed a tragic prospect of large scale proportions.

Sometimes we're not the great heros we make ourselves out to be. When we use the natural resources of other nations, we should morally provide the way to make those same resources sustainable. We need to not just think them and us. We must think We. We must think Global and we must think Long Term.

As far as speaking the English language - I have taken some Spanish classes - I find it difficult and have sympathy for those trying to learn our language - to people who are overly critical on this point, I recommend learning a foreign language before you criticize. Many people from around the world have come to this country - people as old as I am rarely have learned the language very well - It is their children who are at a better age for learning languages that learn English.

As far as the war goes, this is a difficult topic. It was started on false pretenses. There were no weapons of mass destruction & they knew it. Now what do we do with the mess we've made. Was this the best way to wage war on terror? I don't know. I do believe in the cause of freedom - but that was not how the war was billed or why it was started. Without freedom, people cannot fully experience the joy or wrenching pain that comes from choosing our own destiny and experiencing the consequences.

I believe it is always better to affect change peacably if possible. I only have 30 good years left if I'm lucky. After that I'll be fairly old. ;-) I want to plant a tree every year and I want to make some positive difference in this world. I want to be kind to people - even if they don't speak English. If there is some way I can help protect habitat for wild animals, I want to do that.

I want all these wars to stop - we have so much work to do just to protect the environment - restore much damaged environment, and help poor people to become self-sufficient. Our world is in such trouble. We need to reach out and help others, but before we reach out to get the mote out of someone else's eye, we must get the mote out of our own. We must do our own housecleaning first, and then we can help out with someone else's.

Quote July 6 - submitted by Mitzi Dunford

2006-07-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

"The less stuff I have

The less stuff has me ..." author unknown

A good quote

2006-06-13T14:43:00.000-05:00

"Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow." - Mahatma Gandhi

Polyps & Bee Stings

2006-06-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

Well, another physical happening to blog about. I was tagging along behind my husbands class - Hiking (Physical Education) - walking at the end with my dog, P.J. And a bee or something (I didn't see it - maybe a wasp or yellowjacket) got caught in my visor - there was a buzz buzz buzz sting.. on my lower forehead between my eyes. Darn. It had been raining lightly but was letting up. My head really stung. I knew B. had a 1st aid kit so when we stopped for a break I could get some Benadryl or other antihistamine. My hands started itching & my feet. I'd had a light breakfast - a bowl of applesauce because B was on a cleanse that day for his colonoscopy appointment, which was today. So I think the bee toxin got into my system fairly quickly. B. hadn't taken the supercleanse stuff yet but was restricted to fluids in the am.

Well finally they stopped & today's lecture was on rain gear & clothing to wear in general. I interrupted for a benadryl & P.J. and I stood by him during his lecture because otherwise P.J. just whines - wants to be with him all the time. I felt ringing in my ears like I might faint & went and sat down on a log. After the lecture I said I think I needed to have another benadryl, my forehead was swelling. He gave me one and asked for a volunteer to escort me back to the cars. One guy volunteered & walked with P.J. and me back to the parking lot. He seemed to be fairly mature and it was good to have someone to talk to. I felt better while I was walking but my ears felt like they were swelling up and then my ring fingers and wrist were swelling & I took off my watch & my legs were itching and my scalp was itching & I had big blotches on my arms.

We called my Doctor when I got to the parking lot - I felt better if I was walking than standing still. They told me to get a ride to a hospital or call 911. Hmm, what to do... Before long B. came down the path from the other direction with his band of 16 or 17 college students tailking behind. He made the executive decision that I'd get in the van & we left my car there. (Since I'm not actually a member of the class I'm not actually permitted to ride in the van). He dropped my at the University Health Services & then took the students back to where they belong - some rode in the van & some drove. My nose was stopped up but although I could feel a little reaction in my throat my throat & lungs and ability to breath was not impaired. They gave me a bunch of steroids & some other medicine to take when I'm in the outdoors (Allegra) that will make any sting I might get in the future be milder. T hey said the benadryl probably helped a lot.

Anyhow, to make a short story long. . . I officially have an allergy to bee sting. I have been stung before but this reaction is beyond anything I've experienced in the past. B. thought he'd get out of his colonoscopy but we got home in time for him to take the "phosphosoda". And we proceeded with those plans as usual. Yesterday I napped and slept off the benadryl & today he is up there napping sleeping off the triple drug combo they give him for the procedure.

He had a very small polyp so will have to do the procedure again in 5 years - I get to wait 10 years. But I get to carry an epi-pen around with me whereever I go. This sting reaction was moderate to severe but they can get worse over time. So which is worse? Both little reminders of our mortality. Love to all, Yak

Capitol City

2005-11-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

Well, you've probably been wondering about the capitol city of Mentiana - like

most U.S. states, the capitol of the state isn't the largest city in the state. ~ and using the same method for finding the name of the state, I've come up with a tie for the name of the city. If I get any votes on the name, I'll choose the one with the most votes. Here are the choices: Santione, Santiore, Santmone, & Santmore.

Mentiana

2005-11-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

Ok when you try to find out what would be the most typical name for a state in the United States, you know you have too much time on your hands - or - you're good at procrastinating the tasks you should really be doing. For me I guess it is the latter. What even possessed me to do this? I'm not sure - it just started happening. Well, If you count the number of letters in each state - the average (by mean, mode, or median) is 8. The average number of words in a state name is 1. Then if you devise your state name by using the most used letter for each of the first 4 letters and then devise the last of your state name by using the most used letters for each of the last 4 letters, you get Mentiana. More states begin with M. More states end with A. E is the most popular 2nd letter for a state, N for the 3rd, & T for the 4th. I for the 4th from the end, A for the 3rd from the end & N for the 2nd from the end.

2005-11-04T15:59:00.000-05:00

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.6
Mind:	7.3
Body:	7.5
Spirit:	8.4
Friends/Family:	7.2
Love:	9.1
Finance:	8.8
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

October Update

2005-10-17T08:06:00.000-05:00

Blogging has become a little bit like journaling for me - I only do it at extreme times. Except that journaling is for the times when I am overwhelmed - it helps me to make a list of all I have to do and all I am concerned about & then helps me pick where to center my energy next. It is often interesting at such times to read my previous entry and see how I managed to solve the previous problem. So sometimes the start of my entry tells how the various situations turned out before reporting the new situation.

Anyhow, the blog thing seems to be taking a turn towards being a health journal - and today I have a full fledged cold. It has been threatening like a tropical depression to turn bad & have been able to keep it under control with chicken soup, zinc lozenges, Vit C, etc. for about a month & thinking maybe it's just an allergy. But, after running & walking, a little sitting, some marching a 50 mile hike starting Friday night and ending Saturday afternoon - during which time I had no cold symptoms - just stiffening muscles and blisters - it hit me and is now an official cold (a human hurricane) complete with episodes of dripping nose followed by clogged nose. Either one of those conditions is irritating - so hard to know whether to take the decongestant or the runny nose medicine - I go back and forth avoiding the previous.

Hey, they say there's no cure once it actually hits - but if anyone has found otherwise, be sure to let me know. P.S. If you're battling off a cold, I don't recommend to a strenuous 50 mile hike.

Craigs List

2005-09-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

There's a spot on TV about Craig's List - they showed Craig - the guy who started it - Craig Newmark (a nerd) He started the list as a way to make friends - and it worked! He's now on Times list of 100 most influential people. Diversity of Options, finding everything - large advertising - community - business. Although it's free - it has produced millions of dollars of commerce. Of course I heard about it first from my daughter ;-)

Homes filled with items from Craigs list - some paid for - some free.

Newmark has turned down huge sums of money to sell his list. He clocks in 7 days a week - policing it for rip offs etc. (which have happened) He's an innkeeper - it's his list & his place. (What if you take the Craig out of Craig's list?) E-bay & others are trying to be competitors.

Some people have found dates for events on the list - and later their spouse.

it isn't Tahoe

2005-08-31T09:38:00.000-05:00

Back Home -
We're not in Tahoe anymore - stepping out of the airport I suddenly feel that I have stepped into a steamy sauna and getting home there is a din of the chirping locusts in the trees. Inside I'm met by a most adorable little dog - I forget how cute our little American Cutie, P.J. is - what a dog! I should learn to post a picture.
Now, the school to start, bills to pay, luggage to unpack, emails to catch up, rebonding to pets & pet chores. Gee but it's great to be back home. Whew

To a fan's family, a letter of comfort

2005-06-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

To a fan's family, a letter of comfort

"It was never an 'in' thing to be a fan of John Denver, but he had a ton of fans," says Matt Welch.

The Tucson businessman, whose sister died of diabetes in 1978, will never forget Denver's kindness. He met Denver and told him how much comfort his family drew from his songs. Sunshine was played at her funeral.

The singer wrote Welch's mother a letter on July 15, 1980. It said: "...death is not an ending, but a symbol of movement along the path which we are all traveling. As it may be painful to lose contact with the physical aspect of one we love, the spirit can never be lost. We have been and always wil be a part of each other."

The letter ended: "Peace, John Denver."

St. Patricks Day Adventure

2005-03-17T12:05:00.000-05:00

Well, not something I'd planned on - I was awakened at about 1:30 am with a backache on the right-hand side and a slight sense of nausea - felt like a migraine backache - if there were such a thing. So, I got up walked around, visited the restroom several times, took a warm bath, checked out osteopenia on the web - I've recently been put on a medication for osteopenia & one of the possible side effects is backache - oh yeah - I think I'm having a major side effect. I took some calcium, which is needed for the Actonel to rebuild bone and some gator aide, and then a nightime tylenol.
In spite of my efforts my symptoms were becoming intolerable, and I was wretching violently - sounds kind of like flu - except the back thing. So, I call the Dr.s office & then the # for on call emergencies - this is about 4:00 am. The doctor suggests it may be a kidney stone or a bladder infection that has backed up into the kidney, and she recommends that I go to the ER in case it gets worse. My dutiful husband helps me get myself together & out the door. He's so familiar with this routine from his years of caring for his elderly parents - not an especially fond memory & I'm not nearly elderly.
After checking in, and puking, the triage nurse says I bet you've got a kidney stone. And then in spite of my obvious pain I am relegated to the waiting room with a bunch of other sick people and we wait there for what seems an eternity. Mostly I am up and down visiting the restroom, lying on the floor, sitting up, walking around, hoping to come upon a comfortable position - It's like labor without the breaks in between contractions.
Finally I say I need to get the elders of my church for a blessing, my husband who is of a different faith, says to me, "can't I say a prayer for you". Okay Well, on my next visit a few minutes later to the restroom, I'm wiping up and there on the tissue (yeah, I looked - how embarassing) there is this little thing that looks kind of like a mustard seed - well bigger but, smaller than a peppercorn. I take it to the triage nurse - she's very impressed - most people can't pass a kidney stone this big. I'm still sore, but the sick, horrible cramping and nausea has ceased. She tells me to still wait because I'm at the top of the list & I can get in soon. Also, she takes the little irritant back to the ER and there are student nurses who haven't seen the likes, everyone is so impressed. She gives it back to me in a little vial as a keepsake and congratulates me, says my running must have paid off. How did that come up? Oh yeah, it was my 46 beat per minute pulse during the triage process. She says either I'm an athlete or I'm in trouble. I assured her I was in trouble.
When I finally get into an exam room, my nurse comes in and introduces herself and notices the little vial on the side table and says to me " Oh, you're the stone" Yep, that's me, I'm the Stone. Maybe I should change my blog name? Well, I'm home again, after encounters with many people clad in green, bright Irish Green, a urine sample, blood samples, an IV, a cat scan, and couple of prescriptions. Oh yeah, and I'm going to call my doctor and tell her I am definitely not going to take any more Actonel.
One more thing - Happy St. Patrick's Day and may none of us ever Pass this Way again.

A good Pun is its own Reword

2005-02-26T04:17:00.000-05:00

A GOOD PUN IS ITS OWN REWORD
Energizer Bunny arrested - charged with battery.
A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.
Practice safe eating - always use condiments.
A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
Shotgun wedding A case of wife or death.
I used to work in a blanket factory, but it folded.
If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes
from morons?
Marriage is the mourning after the knot before.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?
Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.
Banning the bra was a big flop.
Sea captains don't like crew cuts.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.
Without geometry, life is pointless.
When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination.
Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well-red.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu - the same mustard as before.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
What's the definition of a will? (Come on, It's a dead giveaway!)
A backward poet writes inverse.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft, and I'll show you a flat
minor.
When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum
Blownapart.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia the LAN down under.
He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted. It taint yours and it taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
A plateau is a high form of flattery.
The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.
Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.
The poor guy fell into a glass grinding machine and made a spectacle of
himself.

PJ

2005-02-25T15:55:00.000-05:00

There was just a big male cat in the back yard. We try to discourage them - so I said to PJ, the dog, (he was napping) very quietly - PJ there's a cat & I open the door. He was still half asleep but got up and charged out the door. Usually he just runs around barking and it takes him a while to see the cat. But he disappeared & he wasn't barking - so I thought I better go check it out.

He had the cat pinned at the front gate - well the cat was so fat it couldn't get

out or too scared to jump and PJ didn't know what to do with it - I'm not sure which creature was more in danger. I called PJ - he didn't want to come but was distracted long enough for the cat to flee over the fence.

Speaking of cats, did you hear about the Tiger that was loose in So. Cal.? They said they "had" to kill it. I really don't know why they couldn't have used a tranquilizer gun on it. I'm still bugged.

Back by Popular Demand :-)

2005-02-04T13:14:00.000-05:00

Due to popular demand, I am again posting the events of my fascinating life. teeheehee
Actually I like my life, though it isn't entirely carefree. I'm a student. All my classes this semester are in the SS building which is next to the RAC (sounds like a place of torture, huh?) well, it is in a way (self-inflicted). It is now so convenient that it is hard to pass by - Wednesday I did a class called Abdominal Crunches (kind of like abominable). Now it hurts to sneeze or anything that is jolting and today, I'm going back for more, plus Power Stretches.

Thursday

2005-01-13T15:25:00.000-05:00

A day in the life . . . well, it started at about 5 am - I was awake, so I got up, showered and washed my hair, put on my running clothes, gathered a change of clothes and headed south to San Diego to run with a couple of friends.

At 8:45 am I finally showed up - the traffic on I15 had slowed to a halt many times and was creeping along - some crane (not the bird) had fallen in the northbound lane and the southbounders had to stop on the way down to pay their respects as they drove past ;-[

The friends were calling and thought I'd gotten lost - wondered why don't I have a cell phone yet? One fed me and helped me with this blog - note the cute weather pixie and my favorite places section. I talked to another friend on the phone. I was tired - I'd gone to bed late (after a day of playing with another technology toy) and gotten up early and I was tired - I took a nap til 2:45 pm

Now, I'm going to change into my go downtown clothes - I don't even have to shower again - we didn't go running - another day of hanging out and successfully avoiding exercise.

New Blog

2004-10-27T23:32:00.000-05:00

I was just trying to post a comment on someone else's blog and suddenly - here I have
a blog of my own.