My first REAL Christmas

This is my first real Christmas! Last year, I was just a baby and you gave me all those technical manuals to read, except you read them to me. Now I can read them myself! In addition, I can tear the pages out by myself, so you don't need to repossess the manuals during the ripping process. Also, you've given things to my brother and sister but they are really mine. Tell them they belong to me! If you don't, then as soon as they open them, I'm going to run over and try to grab them away and play with them myself. If that doesn't work, I'll cry. That's because they really belong to me, unless it's something you slide onto your feet or that white stuff you call underwear. Not interested in that.

Also, I'm getting weary of these presents with string tied all around them. They are so hard to open. I guess I understand the government childproofing my pill bottles, but the presents? Why? I need some explanation here.

All good things...

All good things must come to an end... Christmas was really good this year. Unfortunately, the grand kids are about to leave and carry off their goods. We're not going to miss the goods, but we sure will miss the kids! And we'll miss the unique language they use: "Look at all the peasants under the chemistree!"  Or, "I got a cockadiyal for Kissmas." And, "Gory to the newt born king!" Or, "Can we wait anoner minute before bedtime?"

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

May the grace of Christ and His peace be with you all, who love our Lord Jesus.
Your friend,
Andy

Grandchildren

We love our grandchildren. When Santa came to visit, Little Andy the oldest one asked me, "how could Santa possibly get all those presents in one bag?" I just told him to go look inside his mother's purse.

Over the years I've learned a couple of things about children. Here are a few things I've learned:

1. If you see a kid with a lump on his head, you can bet a dollar that the night before his father helped him with arithmetic homework! Of course, the children pictured below aren't old enough for homework yet.

2. Kids simply don't understand why parents make them go to sleep when they're wide awake and get up when they're sleepy.

3. Kids today don't appreciate conveniences like air-conditioning. But it doesn't sound right if you say, "Somewhere in Africa, children are sweating."

Anyway, the holidays have treated us well this year. It even snowed on Christmas day, giving us a white Christmas! But our real dreams came true when the grandchildren arrived.

Hudson Gardens Christmas lights

We went to Hudson Gardens last night in an attempt to get frostbite. It was so cold I saw a thirty-third degree Mason drop 10 degrees! When we walked down to the Platte River (which was frozen, of course), I saw a goose laying eggs in the standing position! Anyway, we walked around the trail and really enjoyed the lights. The tree below was my favorite.

The kids liked the model train set up they have. And guess what, their favorite train "Thomas" was featured as one of the engines. Afterward we came home and had a nice dinner. Not bad for a blackberry huh! If it weren't for the photos, I'd have left the thing in the snow.

Sledding on Christmas Day

We went sledding yesterday after the storm. Below, little Andy is flying down the hill backwards! You can see Seth waiting for him at the bottom of the hill. About half way between them is a trail which crossed the sledding hill. As soon as the kids would hit the trail in front of them, it would launch them partly into the air! This is when the giggles and screams began in earnest.

Finally, it was time for Seth to take Eli down the hill. This proved to be difficult because he couldn't hang onto Eli and the sled at the same time. Needless to say, it was Eli's only trip. Nancy is at the bottom of the hill with Daisy. After 7 or 8 times down the hill everyone was pretty tired... of walking up the hill! Anyway, we had lots of fun and met some of the neighbors sledding too.

Merry Christmas!

Santa and his Elf stopped by last night to leave presents for the children. We had a great time! We left them cookies and enjoyed the looks on the kids faces. Nancy first met Santa's Elf at BSF and since then we've been on many hikes with Santa and his Elf as well as short vacations together (during the off season of course, Santa is very busy). He did say he was taking tomorrow off, Christmas Day.

We all had a great laugh when they left "out the back door," because little Andy asked, "I thought they were supposed to go up the chimney?" Their credibility called into question by the oldest child required some private counseling by Dad. The other two were completely taken in by the chicanery.

It's the season to be mellow

It's the season to be mellow. It's so nice to get up in the morning and see the Christmas tree with all the presents under it... along with the grand kids too! This morning's activity includes doing cookie decorations. The kids helped make the cookies. They were so helpful, they licked the knives really well between cookies too!

Of course, you have to put the tiny little red, yellow and green balls on the cookies after you slather on the frosting. When we ran out, I told them not to worry because there are hundreds of them in the carpet from last year!

I'm so glad we can enjoy Christmas together this year! Today we're going to a Christmas service at church and then this evening Santa and his helper will arrive before the kids are tucked into bed! Yes, it's true!  Mark and Teena are the actors and we plan on catching them leaving presents for everyone. More on this later...

Christmas time!

Life has been pretty hectic here in the last couple of weeks. Sorry for not keeping you more updated on my "Fragments." Last Wednesday it snowed here before Seth and Noelle and the grand kids arrived. They were driving up from Tucson and thankfully arrived a few days after this 5 inch mess and found only dry roads on the way up.

Today, Seth and I took them for a little walk on one of the nearby trails. So, we bundled up and trudged through the snow up the trail from our house.

On the way up, we ran into a coyote (the kids first sighting of one of these creatures). He was more interested in the prairie dogs than us. I thought he looked pretty healthy, so he must be having some success. Keep up the good work buddy!

We found a place where there was a little more snow and enjoyed watching them get wet and cold. The kids also discovered snow balls! Hey! I'm off limits. I have a camera!

Tea and Couth

Nancy and Noelle went to Mrs. B's Tea Parlor with friends and had a great time together. Besides tea, they said they had  really good "soup in a bread" bowl. They said they even ate some of the bowl, since it's bread after all. I explained that in most restaurants they re-use those bowls. Hmm, interesting reaction.

It's nice to be married to someone with couth. I admire people who know what couth is so that they're aware when they're being un! I'm also happy that Nancy has someone with couth to go to these kinds of places, instead of me.

Connecticut Tragedy

Last night we were at a friend's house enjoying a Christmas party, playing games, and singing Christmas carols. Of course, we all reflected on the events of the day, the tragedy in Connecticut. All those little children, we thought! We pondered the enormity of it and prayed for the parents. An old favorite hymn we sang was Away in a Manger. One of the verses is:

Be near me, Lord Jesus;

I ask thee to stay

Close by me forever

And love me I pray!

Bless all the dear children

In Thy tender care,

And fit us for heaven

To live with Thee there.

I image that to believe in a loving God at a time like this seems difficult. How could this happen? Perhaps God's excuse for this is Easter. As Christians we believe that the cross of Christ overcomes evil. However, did it overcome unfairness? I think not. Maybe, Easter Sunday is required, God must show us a way through unfairness and in fact he does. God promises us that he will restore all physical reality, problems in the world, and unfairness, to a proper place under His rule. Until that time, we have to be mindful that we only live life on Easter Saturday. In the meantime, we live in a world that is plainly bad and evil.

Frederick Buechner wrote, "To be commanded to love God at all, let alone in the wilderness, is like being commanded to be well when we are sick, to sing for joy when we are dying of thirst, to run when our legs are broken. But this is the first and great commandment nonetheless. Even in the wilderness - especially in the wilderness - you shall love Him."

I like the words of Philip Yancey in his book Disappointment With God. He writes, "Who in the world does not yearn for more justice in the world here and now? Secretly, I admit, I yearn for a world "fault-proof" against disappointment, a world where my magazine articles will always find acceptance and my body does not grow old and weak, a world where my sister-in-law does not deliver a brain-damaged child. My faith on such a fault-proof earth, my faith will let me down. Even the greatest of miracles do not resolve the problems of this earth: all people who find physical healing eventually die."

We need more than a miracle Yancey says. Perhaps the real miracle is what God promises in Revelation 21:4-5 "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or drying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, 'Behold I am making all things new.' And He said, 'Write, for these words are faithful and true."

In this world of sin, there is still hope...

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming;

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive Him,

still the dear Christ enters in.

O holy Child of Bethlehem

Descend to us, we pray.

Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels,

The great glad tidings tell,

Oh come to us, abide with us

our Lord Emmanuel.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

II  Corinthians 5:17

Song Title on my mind today: The Love of God

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the sky's of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

These words were penciled on the wall of an insane asylum by a man said to have been demented. The profound lines were discovered when they laid him in his coffin.

Oh Christmas Tree!

We went to dinner last night and then worked on the Christmas tree when we got home.You know they actually have plastic Christmas trees now. They're hard to tell from the real aluminum ones. The last time we set up a tree we used our old artificial tree. The tree was so puny we had to use orthopedic bulbs. We bought more bulbs this time and got a real tree! I have to water it every day!

Our neighbor decided Christmas is too expensive. He went outside and shot off three blanks with his gun, then told his kids Santa Claus just committed suicide because of the election.

Now I'm looking for a gift for our oldest grandson Andy. I found a war game made in the Middle East that has a rocket launcher on it. It comes with a bayonet attached, in case you miss. This is really a nice gift but it takes batteries. While I was looking around I saw that they came out with a battery-operated battery. But the batteries aren't included.

Kids today walk taller

Kids today walk taller. That's because at home, everything they own is on the floor. Eli, pictured below knows where everything is though. I had asked him to find me a ball to throw around and he had it to me in 5 seconds! He's a pretty smart little guy too. He wanted me to take this ladder home so he could use it as a chair.

Men are God's masterpiece, but don't bet money on it!

Nancy and I saw this in Tombstone last week and had a few laughs. The reality is, men are what women marry! Nevertheless, as the saying goes, "for every woman who makes a fool out of a man, there is another woman who makes a fool out of a man."

So, I think when God made man, he didn't make the spine so that man could pat himself on the back! Yes, being humble is the right thing to be. In 1 Peter 5:5 you should read, "clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Desert Museum

We saw lots of animals at the desert museum. Below is a photo I took of a Coatimundi. I think he's looking at the mess someone made. These friendly creatures end up as pets sometimes. Not sure that's a good idea. They are pretty smart animals, I'm told. At the zoo in Denver they have a donkey with the IQ of a genius. Unfortunately, he has no friends. Who likes a smart ass?

A museum is a lot better than a zoo. At five in the evening the visitors to a zoo go home. Watching them leave, the head ape will say to the little apes, "I think they feed them now. We'll come back in the morning!" I for one, will certainly come back to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.

Arizona Desert Musem

We had a good time visiting the Arizona Desert Museum during the Thanksgiving holiday. As we walked up to the entrance we saw this guide holding a barn owl. My grand kids were amazed at its ability to turn its head all the way around and look behind it. Twice as many vertebrae will do that I suppose.

We also saw a mountain lion, wolves, many rattlesnakes, king snakes, big horn sheep, a coatimundi (I'll show a picture of one of these later), hawks, a sleeping bear, and many other desert wild animals. I would highly recommend this wonderful museum to anyone.

Thanksgiving

We had a great time at Thanksgiving this year. Of course, I ate too much. I always eat too much of everything on Thanksgiving. If they have a gas war the next day, It'll be me!

We sat around the table talking about all the things we were thankful for like our family, our relationship with God and much, much more. Afterwards, I got to thinking that this has really been a trying year, what with the election outcome and all. But in spite of that I have to say, this is the first Thanksgiving we had a turkey that volunteered! Just what does he know?

Playground

Thanksgiving this year proved to be more than just turkey and dressing. It was play time with granddad and grandma! Since the weather was so nice we went for walks, rode bikes, and spent time doing this. They can do this over and over and still have fun doing it. A simple life can be pretty nice.

The scary part about this photo is that I had to be up on the top of the slide. I doubt the engineers had really anticipated a big boy like me standing up there. It held though!

Tombstone

On our way to Tucson, we stopped and spent the night in Tombstone. It's like walking into the past. We had a great time meeting people and enjoying the nearly authentic town (except for the telephone pole in the background). The horse hocky was definitely authentic. The photo below was taken in front of the O.K. Coral where the famous shootout occurred.

A Banded Gecko

The other morning I heard a scream coming from Noelle's garage. She and the kids were out there getting ready for an afternoon bike ride. I went out only to find this creature hiding behind a box. Our first thought was we were seeing an immature Gila Monster!  But no, further inspection told us is it was just a a Gecko. I knew for sure when he looked up and said something about, "GEICO insurance..."

I walked down the street near an open space area and let him go there. He scampered off the sidewalk and into a rocky area near an ironwood tree. I figured he and my daughter were a whole lot happier now.

Silver City, NM

We visited Silver City, NM on our way out to Arizona during Thanksgiving week. While we were there, we visited Santa Rita Copper Mine. It's the biggest mine I've ever seen. Maybe a mile and a half across and about 1,600 feet deep, it's one big hole.

Looking across I took this photo of one of those great big trucks with wheels about 15 or 20 feet high that haul ore from the mine up to the processing center. It was nearly a mile away from me at the time I took this photo.

A few minutes later two tucks came around a hill inside the trench. You can get some perspective on the size by seeing them next to the road grater. As we waited for them to go by us, they could easily see us standing on a cliff above them. They honked at us and of course we waved back at them.

Revenge vs. Forgiveness

First of all, let me say something about Christianity. Christianity is founded on the idea of grace. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, and whoever believes in him shall not perish but will have everlasting life." John 3:16. There you have it. God will forgive you and it's free. Just believe it. That is God's grace. He was willing to forgive our sins past, present, and future and love us just as we are. He forgave the thief dying on the cross right next to him, and he will forgive you too.

The best argument I can offer for believing in the grace of God is to look at the alternative. When you look around the world today, you will see a world of "un-grace." For example, think about forgiveness for a moment. What is the alternative? Well, I guess that would be a world where no one forgives anyone right? In a world like this, "un-forgiveness" lives and breaths. When you look around the world and even here in the U.S. that's what you are seeing more and more. "Un-forgiveness" Essayist Lance Morrow said, "a Newtonian law comes into play: for every atrocity there must be an equal and opposite atrocity." Does that sound familiar to you? Probably, if you watch the news.

The problem with getting revenge is that it never really settles the score. What's done is done. Forgiveness may be unfair and I suppose by definition it really is unfair. But it does provide a way to stop the train of revenge moving down the tracks. What we really need is a national climate of forgiveness. Phillip Yancey wrote in his wonderful book What's so Amazing About Grace, "Politics deals with externals: borders, wealth, racism, crimes. Authentic forgiveness deals with the evil in a person's heart, something for which politics has no cure."

Guns

Mark took this photo of me and my pattern on target #1 at the gun club. Not bad for 25 feet, but there is room for improvement. I've enjoyed shooting more lately and Nancy and I have been going with several other people as well as Mark and Teena. It's a great way to get good fellowship and practice.

Law of Love

There are so many New Testament books in the Bible where Paul begins by summarizing to his readers the riches we possess in Christ. Ephesians is a classic example. The entire first chapter is full exclamations describing what we as believers have "In Christ." If we really grasp the wonder of the things that Christ has done for us, the surely  we will respond with a sense of gratitude, making every effort to live a life worthy of this kind of love. We would want to please him as a lover pleases the beloved, not out of compulsion but out of desire.

We strive for holiness not to make God love us but because he does. Paul told Titus, it is the Grace of God that "teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives." Trying to please God by following laws and regulations misses the point. Don't you realize, Paul said, frustrated that people squabbled over small things like eating meat and circumcision.

Yancey wrote somewhere, "I think that the idea of Grace is something that presses us to higher motives of morality." It's a child that wants to know what he can get away with. An adult understands that boundaries (rules and regulations) exist for his own good; a parent voluntarily sacrifices his and her own freedom for the sake of others, which goes beyond just obeying the rules; it's a higher calling and is the "law of love."

Snow in Colorado

We got a little snow last night. I woke up the morning and went out on the back porch to see this. I went right back in, made some coffee and curled up on the leather chair with my book. We go to church on Saturday nights now, so we don't have to go out on the slick roads this morning. I think I'll watch the Broncos play Carolina today. It's so entertaining to watch eleven men spend hours trying to move a small object a hundred yards. Reminds me of the post office!

Social ills

Much of the angst conservatives have against liberals are related to social issues. I read somewhere that 40% of pregnancies are now with unwed girls. You see example after example of young people finding themselves in jails which are now overcrowded. You now see gay parents and gay marriage and children raised in broken homes with odd parents. It seems that rather than building up families, we are tearing them down and enabling failure, in fact our society is encouraging it. This is what conservatives dislike.

It was Larry Crabb I think who said "Perhaps if you learn to honor your parents, you will find yourselves equipped to handle all other relationships." The fifth commandment stands at the beginning of the six other commandments that have to do with human relationships, relationships with your spouse, your children, and your friends.  One reason it may be hard to believe in God's goodness (something which is helpful for loving others), is the failure of parents to provide a normal and stable home, filled with love, kindness, respect, encouragement, discipline, and care.

After all, the Bible's fifth commandment does say, "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."

Our divided nation

This morning Nancy and I sat down with a cup of coffee and reflected on the outcome of the election. Our country is terribly divided and seems to be moving in the wrong direction. It is becoming more secular (as was clearly noted on TV last night). The decision made by our citizens yesterday wasn't just about a ruined economy or a failed foreign policy. It was just as much about partial birth abortion, you and I paying for it, infanticide (post birth abortion), assisted suicide (they call this patient rights, I call it murder), legalizing pot (which is now legal in Colorado), and a host of other things.

Christians are being marginalized and pushed aside, and now are forced to pay for things which we find reprehensible and conflicting with our beliefs. The world is not getting better, it's getting worse and it's just not friendly anymore, much less to those of us who believe in God.

However, we do find solace in knowing Jesus Christ our Savior and the plan he has in mind for us. Here is what we read this morning at 6:00a in Romans 5:2-6

We have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance, and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out with our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

My early prediction

I thought I would beat the Democratic, socialist media, to the punch and declare a winner. The good news is that President Obama can play all the golf he wants. He doesn't have to go through any more debates or jet around the country campaigning. No more meetings either, not that he attended very many of them though.

Obama will leave office and leave us with so much debt we'll have more attachments than a vacuum cleaner. Romney will come in and have to make sense of all the bills he's left. My friend in Canada called me and said, "I have to give your country a lot of credit, you have no cash."  Yes it's true, Romney will owe money that hasn't been minted yet!

So, if you haven't voted I suggest you get out and do so, and I urge you to vote for Romney! We can't afford four more years!

Today's Poem

Barack be Nimble

Barack be Quick

Barack be Gone

On November 6

Only 3 days kitty!

Nowadays, Washington never says that the percentage of unemployed is going up. The government merely announces that there is a downward trend of an upward tendency. I think everyone, including our pets have had enough!

NHL circling the drain

I once went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out! Now I go to a hockey game and a strike breaks out! We're a pretty great country though aren't we. We've got more people striking than other countries have working. A good union man believes that time heals all wounds. In hockey it means you're in the penalty box... with the fans! So what's the point of unions anyway? Is making millions really unfair labor? Here's what I think: charging $75 a ticket is unfair pricing!

May your ice thaw and then circle the drain!

Benghazi sayings

I just couldn't resist. BHO is almost poetic in his approach to the world; "If you can keep your head about you when all others around you are losing theirs, you're probably the cause of it all!"

I prefer another saying: "If at first you don't succeed, failure may be your thing!"

Or, how about this: "Truth may be stranger than fiction, but in his mouth it's much scarcer!"

Or, "A liberal is the man who leaves the room when the fight begins."

And, for those of you concerned about the economy...

        "What you don't owe won't hurt you."

Storm Sandy, my humble report

My co-worker in New Jersey called me early this morning (on Skype using his iPad because he has no power in the house and hasn't since the storm hit). We talked about the storm and how they're coping through it all. He said he "never worries about insurance companies paying off." I told him, "It's good to know that after you're gone they'll still be here." I asked him if he was staying warm without electricity. He said, "I have a wood burning blanket at the cabin, but nothing helpful here." We laughed hard!

My friend also told me his wife has been driving all over town looking for gasoline to put in their generator. He said they ran out of gas and everything in the freezer is thawing out. I asked him why he didn't go out and look for gas himself. I got no answer and thought, well it is his second marriage, you'd think he'd learn.

My new Halloween mask

On Halloween, I really know how to scare people now. But this lady never should have shown it to this little boy. Way too scary if you ask me. I'm surprised Target carries this kind of stuff.

So, what's my plan on Halloween, you ask? Well, I plan to knock on doors all over the place wearing this mask, and I'm expecting people to give their neighbors candy.

Devils Head Fire Lookout

Nancy and I hike to Devils Head Fire Lookout last week with our friends. When we were there it was closed. I found this photo of the lookout while it's being used. Last year, I am sure this was a pretty busy place in Colorado. I read that the Wetmore Fire (not too far from here) is now 95% contained. You would think after the snow we just had it would be completely out, but I guess not.

Before it's too late!

Many of you have said President Obama is a cheap politician. Well, how can you call him a cheap politician? He's cost the country a fortune! Remember all those promises he made during the last election? Which one's did he keep?  All I have to say is, people who don't know why America is the Land Of Promise should be here during an election. So... before it's too late, you should vote to change it back!

Looking out my back porch this morning

Here is what I woke up to this morning, snow! It's about 25 degrees outside and snow! So, I got up early this morning and immediately walked out on the back porch combing my hair. You know its wintry when you comb your hair outside and it breaks. Anyway, I'm guessing the hens at the Johnson ranch are laying their eggs standing up this morning!

The trouble with solar

I decided to install a solar light at our house this weekend. The problem with me having to do the installation is that 1) I have to do it, 2) I have to actually read the instructions, and 3) it always takes more time than I thought it would.  For example, waiting around for the sun to charge up the batteries just didn't make sense to me. Couldn't I just plug it in? NO, the sun had to do it! At one point, I was going to hire an electrician to do the work and one of them dropped by to give me an estimate. I decided not to use him because he had singed eyebrows!

Why did I do this you ask? I believe that you should save up for rainy day. Of course, you're stuck if it rains.

We hiked with our friends up to Devil's Head Lookout today. It was beautiful 65 degree weather up in the mountains at around 9,000 feet in elevation. We only hiked a little over a mile but it was a 900 foot hike up to the lookout.

The final hundred feet involved these awesome steps to the top. Going up was no problem, it was coming down that was slow, mainly because the views were so outstanding.

Behind Nancy is the West slope of Pike's Peak. If you looked the other direction, you could see Mount Evans. Look off to the East and you could see Castle Rock, Sedalia, and Denver.

The fire lookout is closed now, but it is still active. There is a small cabin at the bottom of the stairs for the forest rangers who watch for fires during the summer months. We could see the Hayman Fire burn from 2002 but we could not see the scares from the fire last summer in Colorado Springs.

Eleven of us made the short hike and then stopped at the Bud's Cafe and Bar in Sedalia for really scrumptious cheese burgers. But don't ask for fries, they get mad. And leave your credit cards at home, they don't take 'em, cash only, the sign reads; "WE HONOR CREDIT CARDS, BUT WE ONLY TAKE CASH." I suggested to them that if someone pays cash, don't you worry that their credit is no good? "Not at all," they replied, "we only worry about the country that printed that stuff." Great burgers!