My Little Canner!

Laurie's been very busy lately. She loves canning and I'm not enough help, but I try. Pickles, Raspberry Jam, Peach Butter, Peach Butter w/ Cinnamon,3-Bean Salad, and the ever present, Pickled Beets. Also we have frozen peas, beans, and squash. Our tomatoes got a blight but some will be okay for salsa. Then, the cherry and grape tomatoes are doing great and are very sweet. It's kinda exciting. I planted a bunch of shrubs and they are doing good too. I just love living here.

Secondary Trivial Post

If you look at my albums list, These are albums that I pick up at thrift stores. We're talking Vinyl here. I don't have them all in one place and they are not that accessible for the most part, but I must have close to a thousand now. It's just a collection. I have a player I got from my friend Dr. Lawson who was my dentist until he retired. You might notice these albums mostly seem to be from the 70s. This is just what is out there. You don't see much 60s or 80s stuff, and everything newer, of course, is on CD.

Anniversary Passed!

August 8th was the anniversary of our moving to North Dakota! Has it really been 12 Years? I've only been back to San Diego twice but we're going back this fall. A lot of memories, kids growing up, adjusting to new weather, different houses and towns, a great church, and now, Laurie's fantastic new career and my current job that's a departure from what I've always done. Wow... We first moved to Devils Lake into an apartment where some friends of Laurie's lived, Then moved to this house uptown. It had been fixed so two small families could live in it. One in the basement. We've become friends of the landlord and always stop to talk with them when we see them. The house was weird so we moved into this 80 yaer old huge house near downtown. It had one time been 5 apartments but was originally a single family dwelling. Here is where we spent most of our time in ND. Laurie eventually locked herself in the attic that was very big and studied for a year or so when she got into nursing school. It was here that we went through most of the troubles of raising high-spirited children. Here we lost Jeremiah. Then we moved outside Petersburg to our current place. 28 acres of hay and insects. There's a lot that needs to be done but I have never felt so at home in my life. I can sit out on the porch at night and listen to nature and sometimes I think I hear God. I know I see has hand out there. One day, it was evening and this fog rolled in. It was so low that it just sat in the channel that runs across our land. The sun was sinking behind it and the hay had been cut but more had grown. It was magnificent but faded before I could break my rapture and get a camera. One night I was coming back from the barn and walking towards the front of the house. It was lit up from the yard lights and there was this gigantic full moon just above the garage. I had no equipment capable of capturing such a sight but it was wonderous. It's August late, so football's starting which means the weather is changing. We'll be watching for tornadoes and soon the deer will be everywhere. I am so thankful for what I have. I know it really doesn't belong to me, God is just letting me use it. But until he calls me to a better place, I'll cherish this one. Selah.

I'm Aghast

Okay, so I'm watching O'Rielly, and he's talking about Obama. The basic discussion is how well we know Obama and his core beliefs. Bill is talking to Dr. Lamont Hill. (I just want to say this is not about Obama, it's about Dr. Hill) and Bill mentions that Obama says he was introduced to his christian faith through Rev. Wright and how would he reconcile his christianity with his stands on abortion rights. Well, Dr. Hill says it's not a problem because abortion rights are consistant with true christianity. The fundamentalists have it wrong when they say the bible stands against it. Bill is floored and askes Dr. Hill is he thinks Jesus would agree with the far left approach to abortion. Dr. Hill states that Jesus would be even further on the left!

Wait! I know that just when you think you've got things figured out, someone will surprise you anyway. This "guy" Hill is a loon. I don't know what bible he's been reading from. If God says he knew the prophet Jeremiah before he was born and indeed knew even the number of hairs on his head, this seems to make God's position is that once conceived, you are a person, and therefore granted the right to live long enough to make a decision for or against faith. It follows, then, that abortion is murder because it interferes with this right. This is a foundational idea and Dr. Hill, if he has had any study, if not belief, in Christianity should know this.

This guy is just a loon and always surprises me on how far out he is. It doesn't help to know he is teaching young people in college.

WWJD

Motorcycle Training

It's been awhile but I'm back for now. Laurie and I spent a weekend down in Fargo at the NDMSF training seminar. North Dakota Motorcycle Safety Foundation. This organization is national out of California and they hold seminars on motorcycle skills. If you are a new rider or a wanna-be new rider you can take this three-day class and learn the skills to pass the driver's test and operate a bike safely. The class was fun and we both passed. Some DMVs will waive the practical test at the DMV if you've had this course. Many insurance carriers will also grant a discount for it. I beat her on the written test (big deal) but she whaled on me with the practical. Maybe because she's been riding her bike a bit. Anyway, they hold the class on a closed-course so you don't have to worry about traffic. You go through a series of exercises to teach operations, turning, stopping etc. They have a bunch of smaller bikes (175cc and 250cc in our case) so the bike isn't overwhelming. The instructor's were great and I learned a lot. Now I just have to go get my license.