Tonight's sunsets

Tonight I was driving along with my eyes on the sky. I realized that I rarely post photos of the mountains. Yes, those are the Rocky Mountains just to the west of Denver. I pulled over on the shoulder three different times to get these shots. Do we really need the sign to get our eyes to look upward?

In Durango, You Cannot Have More Than Nine Inches!

For thirteen years I owned a store in Durango, Colorado. We called it The Greenery, because when it began, the houseplant boom got started in the U.S., but we also carried many gift items. After a while we moved the store to a great location in the heart of downtown Durango. We expanded big time into greeting cards, just at the time when alternatives to Hallmark began to appear on the market. Tourists flocked to the store in the summer, and we added two more stores, a candy store next to the movie theater (yummy Jelly Bellies), and a tourist shop next to the famous narrow gauge train.

We decide to try bedding plants. Colorado has lots of high quality greenhouses that ship plants everywhere. Every other week I would get a U-Haul and pull it across the mountains to hand-pick the highest possible quality plants. When I returned to the store, I would lay the trays of plants along the outside of our store. It would create pandamonium!

Well, it so happened that the mayor of the town owned a hardware store that for years had had a total monopoly on bedding plants. He would put up a greenhouse in his huge parking lot, and had the market all to himself...until we came along. Though I cannot prove it, I suspected that he used his powers as mayor to have the police arrest me. I think I was arrested three times that summer. The crime? There was an old statute they found that said that merchandise cannot be displayed more than 9 inches from the building. Each time I was arrested I went to court and pointed out to the judge that the merchants on Main Street, where my store was located, regularly conducted sidewalk sales in the middle of the sidewalk. The harassment continued, though.

Across the street JC Penny had a large arcade in front of its store. Walmart came to town, and Pennys relocated to the Walmart mall outside of town. We moved our store into the spot vacated by JC Penny, and received a letter from the mayor congratulating us on the move! If I would have saved that letter, maybe I could have sold it on Ebay like Rush!

Guilty!

The Captain has a harrowing story of an auto accident, and pictures to prove it. It reminds me of an accident that I was in.

For thirteen years I owned a store in Durango, Colorado called The Greenery. We were a florist, but also sold cards, gifts, and books in 12,000 feet of space. Every Spring I would go every week or two to greenhouses around Colorado to pick up bedding plants. The rest of the year I would travel about once a month to get house plants.

On one such trip there was snow covering the gound all the way to my destination. The road was straight and narrow, with no shoulder. Like a dummy, I had no sunglasses, and began to get sleepy. I kept looking for a place to pull over, but finally fell asleep at the wheel. The van crossed the road, went down into a ditch, through a fence, turned over and over, flattening like a pancake. However, before that, I was thrown out of the front windshield, because I was not wearing a seat belt, and landed flat on my back in the wet snow.

The state trooper gave me a ticket for negligent driving. Negligent? How could I have been negligent, when I was looking for a place to turn off the road, but there was no shoulder? I decided to hop on a bus and go to court and protest the ticket. The judge told me that I was as guilty as anyone who had ever come before his majesty! I paid the fine, which was high enough to pay the rancher for the torn fence, and then I gloomily returned home.

I wish I had a photo to show you of that flattened van!

Tonight's Sunset

Behind Dracula's castle you can see the blood orange painting in the sky!

Code Pink: Two Moments of This Morning's Sunrise

Tonight's Fire In The Sky (Sunset)

Friends in the Media

Big headline in today's Denver Post: "Clinton strikes paydirt in Colorado fundraising." Then, the facts: Romney has raised $719,226 in Colorado. Hillary has raised $555,937 in Colorado, and Obama has raised $1.1 million in Colorado! In the "interior west" (Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah) Romney has raised $8.1 million, Clinton $1.9 million, and Obama $2 million. Anybody think the headline writer might be a Clinton supporter?

A Heart Of Ice

Are you following the horrendous case of Ramos and Campion? Campion has been in a cell the size of a broom closet for 23 hours a day for the last ten months. We treat the jihadists monumentally better than we are treating him! His crime? As I understand it, he was an armed border patrol agent, who shot at a Mexican drug smuggler, when he saw the sun reflecting on what he thought was the smuggler's gun. While the men were being held for trial, the smuggler brought more drugs across the border, but that fact was withheld from the jury. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California, a former speech writer for President Ronald Reagan, is leading the fight to free these two border agents. He is strongly supported by presidential candidates Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter. There is a court hearing to review the case set for December 3, 2007 in New Orleans Circuit Court. What is the response of the man I voted for twice, President Bush? A heart of ice! Why would anyone want to apply for a job with the border patrol?

It's Only Wednesday!

Our three oldest children, who are still at home, attend a small charter school with very high standards. They were uniforms, and there is a strong emphasis on character development. But, what goes on in the homes from whence these children come to school?

Monday, a teen showed up at our door at 7 a.m., and asked if he could have a ride to school, claiming that his parents dropped him off at our house. When he got to school, he was arrested and charged with theft of a credit card and car theft! He had been on the run all night!

Yesterday, another teen was arrested for writing a hate note to another student! It is only Wednesday!

Today's Sunrise

This Morning's Sunrise

Protecting Flowers From The Frost

It is a very cold, rainy day here. Time to bring the plants inside. But, where to put them? How about here, next to the kitchen sink? Maybe they will give me some encouragement, while I perform the thrice a day rituals of cleaning up after the kids!

Where Once Was A Creek, Now Is A Forest

This is what you see on the high prairie. Vast expanses of dry land meet up with a forest of trees, where once a thriving creek existed.

Did You Know This About Fred Thompson?

"He had a Clinton in his sights, and ended up shooting himself in the foot." Mike's America has the story, written by Ann Coulter.

The Seven Wonders Of The World

What would you say if someone asked you to list the seven wonders of the world? That is the question asked today at Chip's Church Chat.

Confusion

John Edwards is denying the National Enquirer story that he has had an affair with a staffer. The AP wire story, though, just confuses things, when it quotes hims as saying he has loved the same women for thirty years! Is the word women just a typo? Is the story a Clinton plant? A former Clinton cabinet member now owns the Enquirer. A commenter on Ann Althouse's blog, Enigmaticore, wonders if any reporter is going to look into all of the questions raised by this report.

Criticize, Criticize, Criticize!

What is it with mothers and mothers-in-law that seems to cause them to lose their ability to nurture, when their child becomes an adult? It seems all they can do is criticize. "You are not doing this right. You are not doing that right. You are making the wrong decison here, and the wrong decision there."

Why can't they just relax and say I love you, and I know you will do the right thing, and I am so proud of you.?

Are dads just as bad? Is it that we just don't expect much nurturing from them?

Nobel Peace Prize

Humble Al Gore joins anti-Semitic Jimmah Cahtar as recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. Nothing hypocritical about Al, is there? Nothing self righteous about either of these guys. Jimmah brought us peace in the Middle East and Hugo Chavez. Both gentlemen are doing their best to save the world from the influence of evil America.

Three Great New Finds

I love finding blogs that write about subjects I am interested in. Two that I have recently found are Conservatism With Heart and Mike's America. Conservatism With Heart is written by a woman named Dee in Kansas City, one of my old stomping grounds. She is a homeschooling mom and has a passion for political news. I agree with her take on things. Mike did a great job breaking down the Republican debate last week. Since we don't watch t.v. any more, it is great to be able to go to the internet to see what the candidates did and said.

Donetta at A Life Restored has an incredible life story. The next time you are tempted to engage in self pity, go read the blog of this courageous woman of faith.

Update: Here are two more rightous blogs I just discovered and really liked. Our World As We See It pulls no punches as it irreverently takes a look at the political landscape. Chip, over at Chip's Church Chat is one pastor who does not mind taking an eloquent stand on political matters affecting this country. Read them both and enjoy!

Memories, Lessons

Sailing is a subject I know nothing about. One of the commenters on Skywriter's blog is a single parent named The Captain. The Captain was blogging about a wonderful sailing trip he took with his two children.

It reminded me of a trip I took with my dad when I was a young boy. My dad's sister had a friend who was a doctor. The doctor had a yacht. We were on the yacht on the Pugent Sound near Seattle. People kept offering my dad drinks. Each time they served him a drink, he would nudge me and smile, then, when no one but I was looking, he would dump the contents of the glass over his shoulder into the Pugent Sound. It made a big impression on me. The lesson I learned was that you could avoid alcohol, and still have a great time! I had a wonderful father.

Astonishing Success!

Don't miss the reports from Iraq by Victor Davis Hansen. Our incredible success there has surprised even our military! Now we can deal with the creepy little bugger and his Mullahs in Iran! (It would be nice if the Europeans would quit investing in Iran).

Bringing In The Sheaves

We had a light frost a couple nights ago, so I potted up the geraniums, begonias, coleus, asparagus fern, and impatiens. However, temperatures have returned to the seventies during the day and forties at night, so I brought many of the plants back outside on the deck to enjoy the sunshine. This weather is just wonderful.

Meanwhile, the marigolds, petunias, mums, delphiniums, calendula, and cosmos in the garden are enjoying this weather as much as I am.

We Believe In Evolution, When It Comes To Baseball!

Outside Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockies play winning, team baseball, there is a monument to the evolution of the ball. I found it humorous. At the very top of the monument is today's baseball, the highest form of evolution, when it comes to balls. At least that is true this month, in Colorado, Phoenix, Boston, and Cleveland.

Where Colorado's Attention Will Be Focussed This Weekend

After the sun set, I walked over to Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockies will be playing the Arizona Diamondbacks for the National League Pennant this weekend. There is a statue of "The Player" in front of the front entrance.

Sunset in Downtown Denver

Tonight I was in downtown Denver as the sun was setting. Sure enough, the same beautiful sky exists down there as out here in the country! The difference is, there are many distractions, such as buildings, traffic, and people, that keep one's focus away from where it ought to be. This photo was taken near Union Station, looking west toward the mountains.

What Is Wrong With The Right In This Country?

James Dobson can't support McCain, Giuliani, or Thompson? He is willing to let Hillary Clinton move back in to the White House? He is willing to allow our country's defenses to be weakened again, as they were in the 1990s with Hillary's unfaithful husband?

All of the top political commentators on the right are jumping all over Rudy Giuliani because he took a cell phone call from his wife during a speech!

What is wrong with the right in this country? Have they never sinned? Do they not remember that God used a sinner, King David, to protect His people? Do they not remember how Giuliani cleaned up New York? How he kicked Arafat out of Lincoln Center? How he rebuffed the Saudi Prince who wanted to give New York millions of dollars? How he attended over eight hundred funerals after 9-11, while Hillary attended almost none? How he encouraged adoptions and discouraged welfare handouts? How he is close friends with Sam Alito, Anton Scalia, John Roberts, and Clarence Thomas, and would appoint strict constructionists like them to the Supreme Court?

Do they not realize that the very future of our country is at stake? The evil Islamists would destroy this country just like they enslave women and behead non-Islamists in their own countries. Who are more self-righteous, the jihadists, or the "social conservatives" in our own country?

A Story About Birth

Tonight six-year-old Greg decided to tell me about his birth. First, someone laid down a big blanket. Then, someone poured gasoline on the blanket. Then someone poured water on the gasoline. Then, sll the bones of the dead people were scattered on the blanket.Some of these bones had special powers, which breathed life into Greg, and he arose from the blanket of bones.

Is there any hope for this kid?

Well, Stuff My Socks and Hide It Under A Trailer!

Have you heard? Sandy Burglar is an advisor to Hillary Clinton's campaign! Anybody surprised?

I Would Take The Time To Read These

If you're like me, you don't take the time to read many books any more. Jeffro, over at The Poor Farm, is helping us out. He has compiled a list of the shortest books ever (or never) written.

Sports: A Way To Build Community

Colorado's sports scene has undergone a seismic shift. Long a place fanatical about football, we are now crazy about baseball, too. The Colorado Rockies have come up from under the radar to win seventeen of their last eighteen games, and are playing the Arizona Diamondbacks, beginning Thursday, best of seven games for the National League Championship.

The Rockies made a decison to build their team with young guys through the draft, as opposed to making trades for veteran players. They were quiet about it, because in the sports world people want to win now, this year, and not delay gratification for a few years. Sure enough, there was a lot of criticism of the management team by the local media.

The plan worked! The so-called experts who write and talk about baseball barely know the Rockies personnel. The national media feature stories about the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, or Cubs on a daily basis, but rarely write about the Rockies. The Rockies are okay with that. They like sneaking up on people. They won their division by defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in three straight games.

They play excellent defense. I believe I read that their fielding percentage is the best in the history of baseball! They have excellent pitching. They lost three of their starting pitchers to injuries late in the summer. Instead of frantically trying to make a trade or two, they gave the ball to the young guys who had been playing for their minor league teams, and they have come through handsomely. Their bullpen has been marvelously effective. The bullpen are the pitchers who come in in the late innings, and often just work one inning each. The manager of the Rockies is a very likeable fellow named Clint Hurdle. A former catcher, he has been very supportive of his young players, and shows them that he has great confidence in them.

Colorado fans are some of the best sports fans in the nation. The Broncos are not doing well, so the fans will just let Coach Mike Shanahan try to figure out what he needs to do to right the ship. Meanwhile, over at Coors field, there are a bunch of young guys who really know how to play the game of baseball, and we are all enjoying watching or listening to the games.

Me? I listen on the radio as I sweep and mop the floors, do the laundry, and do the dishes. One never knows when the Social Services gestapo will swoop down to make another unannounced visit to check on the well-being of our foster children. We'll be ready for them next time.

I grew up listening to sports and other programs on the radio. I don't think my parents bought their first t.v. set until I was about ten years old, and Howdy Doody was no match for the imagination-stretching programs on the radio. The Shadow Knows! The Lone Ranger Rides Again! Now I am listening to the Rockies make their push to get to the world series. It won't be easy, because the Diamondbacks are a very good team.

When we moved out here to the high plains last July, we made the decison not to subscribe to any cable or satellite t.v. We do have a nice library of children's videos, but we have learned that we can live without the televison programs. Listening to excellent sports announcers on the radio is a great way to learn some of the more subtle details of the sport. And the sports play a big role in bringing people of the community together around a common connection.

The Code of the West Versus The Code of the Left

Instapundit links to this comparison of the Code of the West with The Code of the Left at American Digest. The Code of the Left follows each facet of the Code of the West. Here is one of my favorites:

* Be hospitable to strangers. Anyone who wanders in, including an enemy, is welcome at the dinner table. The same was true for riders who joined Cowboys on the range.

* Be hospitable to those who "wander" into your country illegally. Anyone who "wanders" into the United States, including an enemy, is welcome at the welfare table. This is especially true for those who will do the voting sane Americans won't - voting for you.

Two More Recent Sunsets

The Backyard Flower Garden Today

Last Night's Sunset

The camera does not do it justice.

The Case of the Missing Red Licorice

Six-year-old Greg and seven-year-old Jon will go to any lengths to find where candy is hidden. Greg, the one with the curiously red lips, has already found the red licorice, and has climbed up on the kitchen countertop to get a plate to put it on. Jon is caught red-handed on an opposing countertop.

Last Night's Sunset

Boulder, Colorado

One of the prettiest places in Colorado is Boulder. My work took me there this week. This picture of the mountains they call "flatirons" was taken looking straight into the sun at about 3:30 in the afternoon.

Boulder is often in the news. This week students at Boulder High School were objecting to the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance. Isn't it amazing how such a beautiful place produces such misguided leftists? This is also where Ward Churchill came to infamy. Boulder is very expensive. A house there costs twice what it would cost twenty miles down the road in Golden, which also has its share of leftists.

With Deep Appreciation!

Most of you already read the Ambulance Driver blog. He is one of the best writers on the web. Yesterday he wrote some very kind words about Colleen and me, for which we are deeply appreciative.

One of the many things I like about Ambulance Driver is that even though he is very, very knowledgeable about all things medical, as well as humanity in general, he chooses to identify himself merely as an "Ambulance Driver". His medical competence is astounding, yet he chooses to identify himself with all of us who are just trying to overcome our human foibles and be decent human beings. One of the things I enjoy most about reading his blog is how he uses humor to bring down to size pompous, greedy, or hypocritical people who abuse positions of power in families and in various institutions in today's world.

Words Matter

The Denver Post has a story today about an animal shelter volunteer who has been accused of coaxing a basset hound to perform oral sex on him. The same gentleman was arrested in 1998 in a Denver park for "unlawful public indecency". Just wondering: what would be lawful public indecency?

Turning To God For Strength and Courage

In my last post I urged readers to check out a wonderful new blog entitled Walking On. What I did not tell you about the blog is that the woman who writes it has six children, some of whom are losing their vision to a disease called retinitis pigmentosa. On her blog she has written poems to two of her boys who are losing their vision. She talks about how they continue to hold their heads high, not complain about what is happening to them, and share the beauty that they both have within. These children are so fortunate to have such a wonderful, loving mother who turns to God to find the strength and courage to carry on.

Blogger is doing its thing to her, too. The comments section is not working at the bottom of her posts. I am sure it will be fixed in a few days. Don't let that deter you from visiting her blog. You will be inspired by her faith and courage, as well as by the wonderful children she is raising.

Domestic Violence

In my career as a child protection caseworker and county director of social services, I had many cases where domestic violence was occurring. In those cases, my clients were the children and also the adult who was the victim of domestic violence.

Recently I have found a wonderful blog entitled Walking On, in which a wonderful woman tells how she and her children escaped the abuser and made a life for themselves. I highly recommend this gritty woman's blog to my friends in the blogosphere!

And while we are on the subject, there is another blogger I want you to know about. Skywriter can write like nobody's business. She also escaped an abuser, but not before he beat her during her pregancy, causing her to lose her child. She is now a federal agent, and previously did a career as a pilot. You will enjoy both of these bloggers immensely, as they are both individuals of substance, who are living very worthwhile lives.

My own wife was the victim of domestic violence in her first marriage. He was convicted of false imprisonment. We have later learned that he taught his oldest son to touch his sister's private parts when he was seven and she was two. He is living underground to escape prosecution for his crimes against his own children.

Of course, abuse is not confined to the male species. Males can be victims of females as often as females are of males, in my experience. Certainly children are abused and/or neglected as often by their mothers as by their fathers. Sexual abuse of children is thought by our society only to be done by males. My experience, though, is that females perpetrate as often as males. You would never know it by visiting convicted sex offenders in prison. About 90 percent of them are males.

Boys At Play

I decided to pay attention to my six and seven-year-old sons tonight, as they were playing. The six-year-old used his powers to kill the Ice Monster. However, the Ice Monster had a red crystal heart. When he died, he got too close to a post that was filled with demons. The red crystal, which was made of ice, crashed against the post, causing a fire. The sun came. The demons could not stand the light from the sun and the red crystal, and they flew out of the house and died. Then there was no more evil shown in the universe. The only evil left was down in Satan's house.

But wait! There was one more evil demon: The King of the Second World (our six-year-old) defeated the demon. The General (our seven-year-old) killed all of the "callers". The job of the callers was to call the devil to make more demons.

Boys need to see themselves as powerful; able to protect people from evil.

The Nativity Story, According to Our Six-Year-Old Son

Three-year-old Sara asked her mom, "Why did Mary have the baby Jesus?" Colleen tells Sara all about the need for a Savior, so that our sins can be atoned. Not liking that answer, Sara turns to her six-year-old brother and asks the same question. He answered, "Back in those days, you had to be married to have a baby. She did not want to marry that Joseph guy, so God put the baby Jesus right in her stomach, so she would not have to marry him."

Proactive

Today a school official called our house. My wife, Colleen, answered. The official told Colleen that a teacher had noticed that our fifteen-year-old son, who has very large bones and is slightly obese, (got the gene from his biological father's family) has not seemed to be eating lunch at school the last two weeks. The school official started to tell Colleen about the free lunch program. Colleen said, "Stop right there. It will take me thirty minutes to get to the school. I want to meet with you, the principal, the teacher who made the allegation, and our son." The school official said, "but, but." Colleen said, "I will see you in thirty minutes."

Next, a wardrobe change: off with the boots and jeans, on with the hose, Bruno Magli shoes, and a professional-looking dress. The wheels on the van spin just a bit, as she backs out of the driveway.

No official but the lady who called was available to meet with Colleen when she arrived. Colleen asked the lady to take notes of everything that was said, then read the notes back to her at the end of the meeting. First, she asked our son to show the woman how much money he had in his wallet: $41.00! Colleen knew that, of course. She and our son have been working on a ranch this weekend for ten dollars an hour, mucking horse stalls, and doing general barn and livestock maintenance. Colleen noted that he had enough money in his wallet to purchase a lunch today; in fact, enough for several days!

Next, Colleen asked our son to tell how many kinds of lunchmeats she had purchased and brought home for him yesterday. His answer: "Four, and a bunch of other food, too," as he pulled a granola bar out of his pocket.

Colleen told the lady that she appreciated the teacher's concern, and that she has a plan for the rest of the week. She will make up four cards with smiley faces on them. Our son is to take the card to the teacher who made the allegation, show him his lunch every day, and have the teacher sign the card. Our son is then supposed to bring the card home for his parents to see. If he has a signed smiley face every day for the rest of this week, he no longer has to bring the card to the teacher in the upcoming weeks.

People make assumptions about large families. We feel the need to be proactive whenever we encounter those assumptions. One assumption is that because there are so many children, they must need a free lunch. We could not possibly be adequately taking care of them, now could we?

Why is our son not eating, if, in fact, it is true that he is not eating? He knows he is overweight. It was not a problem the last few years when he was homeschooling. Now he attends a school that has cute persons of the opposite gender also in attendance. I predict that in no time at all he will be svelt, even if he does have to eat his lunch!

Update:
Colleen has finally been able to talk with the principal. The principal admitted that she had talked to the staff about talking to parents about free lunches, BECAUSE THE SCHOOL WILL QUALIFY FOR ADDITIONAL FEDERAL DOLLARS!

A Tip From A Loving Brother

Three-year-old Sara has a problem. She overreacts to the slightest thing that goes wrong. She just loves to cry and moan and present herself as a victim.

Today six-year-old brother Greg decided to tell her the story of the "boy who cried wolf." It seems that there was "a village with people in it. Nearby there was a wolf. In the village there was a little boy who cried all of the time, and always pretended that his life was miserable. One day when he was crying, the wolf came and ate him. So, Sara, if you don't stop crying all of the time, the wolf is going to come and eat you."

Sara replied, "Okay, can we play monsters now?"

It Won't Be Long Now

Although we are having summer-like weather on this first day of fall, I know that it will not be long now before the first frost. Here's a photo of the four-tiered garden at the end of summer, as some of you have requested.

Now I am going to try to divide as many of the perennials as possible and plant them in new spots.

An Afternoon At The Salon

This afternoon Colleen and the kids were back in Walmart (We forgive those who trespass against us, sometimes). She noticed that they had a hair salon, and she noticed that we had children who looked shaggy, so the entourage proceeded toward the salon. You know how they have big pictures of models with the latest hairstyle? Well, two-year-old Linebacker Dude was particularly mesmerized by one poster of a female model, whose breasts happened to be showing. He quietly climbed up on the chair to get a closer look. Suddenly he exclaimed to his three-year-old sister, "Look, Sara, balls!"

A West and a North View of Tonight's Sunset

Stress!

Six-year-old Greg came to me with a terribly stressed-out look all over his beautiful face. He urgently sought my attention. "Dad, you have to do something right now, or else the chicken is going to burn really badly. It has been cooking all morning!"

I explained to him how the crock pot works. Of course, it was not the first time we have used the crock pot. What was different was that instead of having it in the back corner of the kitchen, as we did at the house in Golden, now we have it right out in plain sight. I was glad to be able to relieve that stress!

Dreams

Six-year-old Greg asked me tonight, "Dad, have you ever had a dream that robbers came into your house and stole all of your stuffed animals?" "No, son, not that I can remember." "Well I did, and the boss of the burglars was eating a burger as long as the earth!"

Okay Freudians, give me your interpretations.

Wife Accosted By WalMart Greeter!

It's true! It really happened to Colleen tonight as she left with a cart full of diapers, Pull Ups, Wipes, Juices, and a plastic table cloth made in China. Mau was tantruming (just came back from a visit with biological mother). "Let me see your sales receipt," demanded the rather large greeter. Colleen could not find it, could not find it, then finally found it. The woman slowly checked everything, but Colleen was beginning to doubt if the woman really knew how to read. Finally, Colleen snatched it back and demanded that the woman follow her to Customer Service. Colleen then demanded to see someone who could read. Someone came up and read all the items on the list and then profusely apologized to Colleen. As she drove away with Mau screaming, Colleen dialed the store and asked to speak to the manager. The manager explained that the greeter was trained only to ask to see a receipt if the door buzzer goes off, which did not happen in this instance.

Tonight's Sunset

Yes, it is fuzzy. It was getting dark, so I used the zoom to try to capture the colors. Got the colors, but sorry about the fuzz.

Two Excellent Human Beings

Thanks to The Poor Farm for bringing this to our attention.

Wicked

My wife has a wicked sense of humor. We have a three-year-old who just loves the sound of her own powerful voice. She happily carries on a conversation with anyone, about whatever comes to her imaginative mind. Whenever we get a call from a telemarketer, Colleen hands the phone to our three-year-old. Tonight she talked for a while, then handed the phone to Linebacker Dude, who will be three in January, but is already trying to keep up with his sister. Linebacker Dude "pushed the wrong button", and soon one could hear the disconnect buzzer. That telemarketer is not likely to call this house again. Both children enjoy their role of speaking to people on the phone two or three times a day.

Unqualified

Hillary Clinton "suspends disbelief", as she listens to a man of impeccable integrity testify before the Senate. MoveOn.org., chief fundraiser and policy maker for the Democrat party, gets a rate discount from the New York Times and names its own date of publication of a full page ad calling General Petraeus "General Betray Us". Neither Clinton nor Obama condemns MoveOn.org for their classless act. Are the Democrats going to field a candidate who could actually be President of the greatest nation on earth? If so, it will have to come from somewhere other than the present field of candidates.

Update: The Times charged MoveOn $65,000 for the ad, which normally costs $181,692.

Inadvertantly, An Ambassador For America!

Six years ago today they did the unspeakable deed. Unbelievably, there are many people who believe that if we just sit down with these Islamic fanatics, and be nice to them, they will stop wanting to kill innocent people. Democrat presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is in Syria cowering before the Syrian dictator, Asaad, who is one of the most ruthless people in the world. Do you think a Syrian would be allowed to come to America and criticize Asaad, as Kucinich criticized President Bush in Syria? The answer is no. The answer is that the Syrian would be killed and his family would be tortured and killed. Will any member of the media ask Kucinich about his cowardice and stupidity? Will any of the other Democrat candidates challenge him when he returns to the land of the free? We shall see.

Nevertheless, Kucinich is doing more for America, inadvertantly, than could a busload of State Department ambassadors. The Syrian people can watch him on television, and say to themselves, "that America must be some wonderful place. We know that we could never criticize Asaad, even in our country, without placing ourselves and our families at risk of torture and death". The citizens of Iran will also notice, and long for the kind of freedom America gives clueless people like Kucinich, to speak out against the U.S. Commander-in-Chief on the anniversary of 9-11-01.

Leadership

In thinking about what our foster child, "Linebaker Dude," needs, many people give us suggestions. Some say he needs to be an only child. Some say he needs to be around lots of children. Some say he needs to live in the country. Some say he needs to live in an urban area. What nobody says is that he needs parents who will provide leadership!

Remember, he has been mostly on his own his whole life. He is used to doing what he wants, and only what he wants. That is not how you become a civilized human being. Human beings require someone, somewhere along the way, to provide leadership; to teach the child that he can trust his caretaker, who has certain basic expectations of the child in terms of behavior. Someone must be there to teach the child the basic realities of life, and inspire them to follow your example. The child cannot be the one who is in charge. The adult must be in charge. It is the child's job to follow the lead of the parent, not the other way around. Too many parents nowadays are abdicating that leadership role. Children are left to follow the lead of whomever it is that they are spending time with: MTV? Peers? Rock stars? Pedophiles?

Why are so many parents abdicating their responsibility to lead? What are we afraid of? Social Services? That we won't be seen as "child-centered"? That the child will be angry at us? Our society gives kids the message that they are equal to adults. Movies and t.v. ridicule parents, especially fathers. Simpsons? Family
Guy? Need more examples? Are we just too busy to give the child our leadership? Then we need to change our priorities, because we do not have any more important responsibility than to provide leadership to our children.

Have parents of today become wimps? If so, how did that happen? If our children don't do well in school, we blame the schools, and ask the government not to leave any child behind. However, how much value do the parents place on learning? What examples do the parents set? What about housework? Do parents do it all, or do they expect the children to join in and help?

Parents of children are not the only wimps. Have you noticed how many dog owners fail to provide leadership for their dogs? Check out Cesar Milan on the National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer show. Most of his clients are "successes" in our society, but let their pets run all over them. Horse owners do the same thing. They give their horses forty acres in which to graze, sparkling clean barns, all the right foods and minerals, the best in ferrier services and trainers, but fail to command respect and provide leadership. Disobedience is allowed day after day with no consequences. If no one expects the child, dog, or horse to listen and obey, they won't!

Have You Seen My Boxers That Say "Feeling Lucky?"

Our teens went to an all night teen thing sponsored by our church. Afterward one of their best friends, a sweet, attractive redhaired female came to our house. Our daughter has been sleeping all afternoon, but our son has been having a great time with their (his and his sister's) friend. It is almost nine p.m. here now, and our son just came over to where Colleen and I were sitting, and asked the question that is the title of this post.

After we rolled on the floor with laughter, I suggested to my son that perhaps he might want to consider a more subtle approach. However, as it turns out, I had just washed and dried those particular boxer shorts, so he happily pulled them out of the dryer and went to teach his friend how to play the guitar. Anyone want to guess what song he'll play on the guitar?

Context

That's right, this photo needs context. If someone posted this photo in a book advertising children available for adoption, many people would choose this child, Linebacker Dude. What is the context? We were at back-to-school night for the three older children who are attending a charter school. LD started to misbehave. I picked him up to hold him, but he squirmed away and started to tantrum. (Why don't we take photos of our children during tantrums?) Believe me, if I took a photo of him during one of his defiant episodes, no one whould choose the child in that photo. Make a note, Bob: get a photo of defiant LD to post on the blog.

So, anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the tantruming child. He headed for the door. I followed. He ran across the grass. I waited and watched, as a good hunter would do. When he got distracted, I made my move, scooping him up and placing him on this post, which was about four feet above the ground. We stayed there, waiting for Colleen and the rest of the family to catch up with us. Now he had a predicament: do I jump down and probably hurt myself, or do I ask Daddy to hold me? He chose the latter strategy. "Hold me, Daddy." "What, LD, I can't hear you." "Hold me Daddy." "Oh, you want me to hold you?" "Hold me, Daddy" "Okay, LD, if you insist"! Sweet victory!

However, it lasted only until he was off the scary post, then he tried to squirm away again and run, which I could not let him do, because people were leaving in their cars. So I held the kicking and complaining, very muscular little fellow all the way to the van, which, of course was parked what seemed like a mile away.

"I'm Not Gonna Miss Them"

Flies. They seem to go with horses, with country living. When the sun fills the bedroom with its rays, the flies remember to gently kiss my lips. Who needs an alarm clock? Tonight a cold front moved through, and hundreds of the gentle little creatures clamored to come in and enjoy the warmth. The title of this post was just spoken to me by my wife, as we sit back-to-back at our computer desks.

Unstoppable When Motivated

One of our dogs, a Lhasa Ahpsa named Fluffy, is an amazing athlete. Although she is a small dog, she can hurtle herself into a thirty gallon trash receptacle when hungry or in heat. Currently it is the latter. I promise to take a picture the next time I catch her in the act (the act of jumping into the trash, I mean).

Who Knows What Is Best For The "Working Man" (And Woman)?

Columnist David Harsanyi today in the Denver Post notes that union officials like to talk about what is good for the working man. Then, Harsanyi asks, why not give the working man the freedom to choose whether or not to join a union? Harsanyi points out that unions use the dues of the working man to help elect candidates that many working people would not personally want to elect! Nationwide there are now 22 states that are right-to-work states. There likely will be a constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2008 in Colorado, which, if passed, would give workers the right to choose.

The estimated political expenditures of Big Labor in the 2004 election cycle was $925 million! Harsanyi concludes, "it's about money and power. Nothing inherently wrong with those things, I suppose, unless you take them without asking." Read the whole thing here.

Despicable

I just caught Hugh Hewitt's radio show. Hugh is replaying a speech made today in the United States Senate by New York Senator Chuck Schumer. Schumer is saying that the reason Al Qaeida was driven from Anbar Provinceis is that the Sunni Sheiks realized that the American troops were ineffective failures, so they had to take matters into their own hands and drive Al Qaeida out!

What is worse, a Senator who solicits sex in an airport bathroom, or a Senator who demeans the sacrifices of American troops who have fought and died in Anbar Province and elsewhere in Iraq? Both political parties need to clean house.

Seems Like There Ought To Be a Middle Ground

Female three-year-old to six-year-old brother: "I am going to be really nice to you and marry you when we grow up." Brother, raising his voice, "Oh, no you are not!" Sister: "Okay then, I will talk to the monsters, and the monsters will get you!"

Tonight's Sunset

The bottom photo was taken first, looking east. Something reminded me to turn around to the west. It was orange rain!

Hugs

As the sun went down, bringing us lavenders, purples, pinks, and oranges, Jon went out one more time to play with Charm, our fast-growing standard poodle puppy.

These Caught My Eyes Today

A ladybug enjoys the brilliant orange gallardia. What would a garden be without ladybugs and bees? The next picture is also a gallardia, but one just beginning to bloom. The third photo is of dwarf zinnias.

Poopy

Mau Mau just awakened from her nap. When I went in to get her she held out her hand. I almost took it, but then I noticed it was covered in brown. Then I noticed that the other hand was also covered in brown. "Poopy?" I asked. "Poopy" she answered. At least it is better than what Linebacker Dude, otherwise known as Michelangelo, would do.

Side Benefits

My wife is just a few days away from her period. Want to know how I know? Well, there is the one surefire clue of an extra heavy blanket on her side of the bed. But the clue I like best is how she parents. For these next few days, no child will get away with whining or any other spoiled brat behavior. If they dare try, they will be verbally put in their place like nobody's business. There will be a house full of well-behaved children for the next few days, I guarantee it!

Let's Ride!

These photos are in reverse order. We decided that there was about one hour before susnset, so it would be fun to ride the horses. Seven-year-old Jon is getting to be a very confident rider. The rain came right after this photo of the prairie grasses and sunset.

It Is Still Warm, But It Won't Be Long Before Jack Frost Appears

Temperatures are still in the nineties, but it will not be long before the first freeze, so I snapped this photo of the four-tiered garden late this afternoon.

Temper Tantrums

The yellow slide is the one she did not want. The green slide is on a steep hill, and lets you fly a good six feet from the bottom. It will be really fun when there is snow...and there will be snow! You have to push open the trap door to get to the top.


You never know what is going to incite a full-fledged tantrum. My 31-month-old foster son usually tantrums when we put him down for a nap. Yesterday my 23-month-old foster daughter flew into a rage when I would not allow her to go down the very steep slide we have for the older six children. We also have one just right for her, but she wanted to go down the one that the older kids enjoy. She stayed mad at me for at least fifteen minutes, until I could direct her attention to something else. Both have wonderful volume in their voices, as I am sure the two neighbors with "for sale" signs would be happy to tell you about.

Flowers That Caught My Eye Today

I just happened to have a camera in my pocket while gardening this morning.