I finished Les Miserables last week! It finally got interesting, and I finished the last 463 pages on Thursday. Out of approx. 1463. I'm glad I read it, and it was interesting... but I'm not reading it again for a long, long time. Victor Hugh was a bit long-winded.

     I shall return!

Against all odds, I have returned within a week. Ha. Betcha you thought I wouldn't make it!

     We played our first hockey game of the year! Our backyard rink is still pretty bumpy, but quite skateable, and so far I've played two games.

     You can't really appreciate ice-skating until you've skating on a home-made rink. Almost seriously. The bumps and holes and ridges and dips add an entirely new dimension, especially when we're playing hockey. Not to mention the snowbanks instead of walls.

     As an example, I was hit by the puck about four times in one game above the waist, because the puck hits the bumps and just flies anywhere. Michael was laughing at me because at one point I saw the puck heading for me through the air, and I (duh) hid behind my hockey stick. Then to the surprise of us both the puck actually hit the stick and bounced off.

    I did feel like a cartoon character, though.

     Kevin (4 yrs old) was out on the rink while we were playing, so that got interesting. He is learning to skate still, so he'd wander all over the rink pushing a red plastic chair while the hockey game was going on all around him. He skated in front of the goal once, and my shot bounced off of his chair. Not fair...

      Probably the most annoying thing about a backyard rink is that the puck keeps hitting the snowbanks. Then you have to dig them out, and if you're playing at night, that's no fun. Throughout the year though, you do get used to the bumps, and as they smooth out the puck doesn't fly high as often.

     I would have written yesterday, but some smashing (not neccesarily in a good way) news hit the house, and I didn't. My favorite singer quit my favorite group-Guy Penrod quit the Gaither Vocal Band. Marshall Hall has dropped from the scene as well, and Mark Lowry, David Phelps, and Michael English have returned. (www.gaither.com) That, I'm sure, means nothing to most people, but to most who listen to my style of music, that's big news.

     And, after a bit of thought, I send the Kreative Blogger Award on to Shayleen (pearlsandcoke). I realize I do not have the graphic, but I didn't know how to get it from Doggydiva24, so you can pick it up from there!

     Fare thee well.

     Hey, I'm on a roll. Wrote an entry three times this week...

     I finished my science books this week. Yeahhhhhhh. No more (assigned) science until next fall. I think I shall probably start some independent research, though. Mom had me do some books (yeah, books as in plural. They were really easy reading though) by John Hudson Tiner, and I thought they were very well done. I just finished a chemistry one, and I think I want to look into that a little more on my own for the rest of the school year. That and physics.

     One chapter on nitrogen really caught my interest-I mean come on, how much fun is it to read about how to make things explode? That's just plain interesting! I like little facts that they include in books; that sort of thing makes it that much more fun.  Like that nitrogen evidently is something plants deplete from the soil very quickly, and people put ammonia (nitrogen rich) in fertilizer to give it a boost. (And yes, in the back of my mind I'm thinking, "oh, I get it- that's how MacGyver made that bomb!").

     And then splitting the atoms- that's neat. I want to invent cold fusion.

    To change the subject, ever heard of the statement made by (pretty sure?) John F. Kennedy, "Ich bin ein Berliner"? It was while the Berlin wall was up and he was giving a speech. He made a mistake. How many of you know what that really meant?

     He did NOT say (correctly, anyway) "I am a Berliner." That would be "Ich bin Berliner." According to my uncle, who knows this sort of thing, when you say "ein" it changes the meaning of the word coming after it. So, a correct translation of what JFK really said that day is(you ready?):

      "I am a jelly doughnut."

     Now that's just funny.

February 16th, 2009

Dear Sir:

     Contrary to popular opinion, and the statement in your last business letter, I am not one of Santa’s little elves. Not meaning any disrespect, but it bothers me when people assume so. My name is Kasimir, and standing at 6’ 5”, I am one of Santa’s tallest elves. People who find out who my employer is tend to go by clichéd rumors. Maybe I’m touchy, but it really gets to me. Not that it has anything to do with the business at hand.

     Our factory is much smaller, income-wise, than most people suppose. I admit that this year we have been slightly disorganized; we’re having a little trouble keeping up with the times.

     Probably our biggest change this past year has been viewed as a somewhat extravagant expenditure, but is one we consider absolutely neccesary: bodyguards for Santa on Christmas Eve. This was not a hasty descision to make, whether or not the reports you seem to have heard agree. This was, as I have already stated, absolutely neccesary. His life has been threatened at least a dozen times just in the month before Christmas last year.

     Apparently he has become too controversial to appear in public without some form of security. Everyone is angry:

-          The ACLU insists he should switch from “Merry Christmas to all…”etc., to “Happy Holidays…” so as not to violate anyone’s religious rights

-          The ASPCA issued a statement that, “[Santa] is a figure that saddens…”, and the PETA sent a number of threats because he uses reindeer to pull his sleigh

-          Hillary Clinton almost had a heart attack during a phone interview with Santa when he stated he would continue to pass out switches to naughty boys and girls

-          Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler each blame Santa for their problems, saying his example in using a sleigh instead of a new car has crippled them financially by turning away potential customers

-          Al Gore has led a crusade against Santa because Santa gives out coal to naughty children instead of a renewable energy source

-          “The New York Times” issued a report with unverified studies claiming that the ozone hole is directly linked to our activity on the North Pole’s ice caps

-          Wall Street almost universally blames the sagging economy on Santa’s factory, claiming he draws jobs out of the USA

-          Washington D.C. senators have been quoted as saying that, “[i]t is people like Santa Claus [who live too long] that are causing the Social Security system to crumble…”

-          Six different fast-food chains are passing the buck to Santa when they get lawsuits about overweight patrons, claiming that Santa’s portly figure is the example that causes people to eat too much in imitation of him, rather than their food

-          Cigarette companies cite him, in the same vein, as the bad example with his pipe that causes people to smoke, rather than their misleading ads

-          Santa is also indirectly blamed for the Iraq War, because he did not leave Bush a lump of coal as a warning on Christmas 2001.

     As you can see, this was an absolutely neccesary change for the one night the bodyguards were employed. We had no choice; this was not a “frivolous waste of money.” Even though our income is over $200,000 a year, nearly all of that is taken up by our expenses.

     So very respectfully, Mr. Obama, I request that you reconsider our tax dues for this year.

     Sincerely,

Kasimir Sylvan

     Kasimir Sylvan, PR Rep. of Kris Kringle

** I hereby copyright this**

     Merry Christmas everyone! Wow, Christmas is coming up so fast this year, it'll be here before you know it...

*offstage whispering*

     Oh wait a minute, did I miss it? Oops, guess I'm a little late. Okay, take two: Happy New Year, everyone! Wow, it'll be 2009 before we know it...

*more offstage whispering*

     Heh heh, whups. come to think of it, I haven't been on in a while, have I? I guess I've had the misconception that if I vanish for a few days- *exasperated offstage whispering* - okay, a few weeks (or even a month or so) nobody will notice. Shayleen has caught me every time, though, so here I be.

     So what haas been going on in my life since I've last posted?

     Well, my little brother is taller than me. That one is still sore... He is one year and two weeks younger, and it is just not fair. Especially since he has started being right when I'm wrong (like when he told me last week not to walk on a certain section of ice over our pond and I decided to do it anyway. Hey, it looked like it was on a couple inches deep. Good thing it wasn't cold that day. He was thrilled later when he found out that I went through the ice.)

     Christmas, obviously. That was fun. I'm still working through a bunch of my new books with great pleasure. Les Misrables has been temporarily set aside.

      Classes have been over for the fall semester for a while. I'm not doing a full load, but it is still nice to get a break.

     And then New Years! I figure this is a good time to start keeping up on this site. Figure on once a week; I'll try to be one at least that often, and if not you will get notice instead of me just dropping off thae face of the earth.

     When I got on tonight I found I had been awarded by Doggydiva24:

                       The Kreativ Blogger award.

      Wow. I'm impressed! Thank you!

     And one last thing; a tag, also from Doggydiva. It's the six random things tag- I think you're all familiar with the rules.

     1. I get blisters if I snap my fingers too much. (Horrible, isn't it?)

     2. I have no problem with changing the rules, questions, etc. from any tag I am tagged with. If I feel like it, them's the breaks.

     3. I don't particularly like honey ham.

     4. Between my two hands, I have a total of five double-jointed fingers.

     5. My shoe size is generally a 10.

     6. The longest (real)word I know is Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethylene (the unabbreviated form of DDT)

     I have to go now- dinner time (honey ham). Anyone who wants to do the tag, consider yourselves tagged. If you're putting on your dark glasses right about now and hoping I won't remember your name, consider yourselves free from tags.

     I'm sure there's a snazzier way to say that, but I'm in a rush. Bye.

     Have you ever noticed that there is a song for just about every mood? Maybe I'm just different, but I could pick about a half-dozen songs for almost every possible mood. I really like music; I sing with most of my siblings, and we have a lot of music.

       I've been wanting to do this for a long time, make alist of a few different songs I like and why. So here goes:

• Feelin' Alright, Yeah I'm Doin' Okay
  • This one gets its milage. If you like this song, you can't beat it- if you dislike it, well...

• Forgive Me
  •  Ooh. This one came on once when the player was set to random (shuffle). At the moment it started, I was mad furious at one of my brothers. You just can't be mad with that playing. I learned my lesson, and yes, I forgave him...

• Glorious Impossible
  • This is the best praise song I have ever heard. Hallelujah!

• I'm Not Gonna Worry
  • Everyone needs this one on once in a while.

• Nobody Knows, Nobody Cares
  • I can't be the only one who has these moods, right? I actually did put this on once, but about the time it got to the part, "'cept Jesus walking by my side..." I got sheepish and put on Life is Great and Gettin' Better instead.

• Why Me
  • This one I sat down to listen to- I wanted to hear a good answer. It starts out "Why me? What have I ever done to deserve even one..." and then comes the shocker I wasn't expecting: "...of the pleasures I've known?"

     This last song caught me completely off guard. Pleasures? Wait minute! That's not what I was asking!

The chorus goes:

Lord help me, Jesus, I've wasted it so help me Jesus, I know what I am.

Now that I know that I've needed you so help me Jesus- My soul's in your hands

     This is a song that I, for one, really need as a reminder. When I want to ask why, this song always comes to mind, and my thoughts turn back to worship. Why me? The love of God- why me? By the time this song ran through, I would have been disappointed if it had turned out differently. It now is one of my favorites.

     I can't think of anything I want to add to that. Good stopping point! Forget the rest of the list- maybe some other day! Fare thee well.

So, Obama is our president-elect. Whoopee.

Not.

I seriously disagree with many (okay, rephrase that to most if not all) of Barack Obama's policies. And morals. And ideas. And the obvious media bias. Etc., etc., etc.

I think we as Christians and as Americans need to really start taking notice of what is going on in our country- yes, change is coming. But change isn't always good.

Enough of politics. Sorry. :-)

I have begin reading Les Miserables. So far it is interesting, but the size of the book is intimidating; I do hope I finish it before I misplace the thing and lose interest... I have to have started Austin's Emma at least six times, and each time I lose the book. By the time I find it I've forgotten what was going on. Don't you hate it when you put something in "a safe place" and forget where that place was?

We just bought a few more soundtrack CD's from EH&SS(www.erniehaase.com, a sweet quartet). I'm looking forwards to getting those in the mail; singing is something we really enjoy. My brother sings bass, and found our recently that he can hit a double-low A.

We have (oyyyyyyyyy) finished with our grapes. We have semi wild grapevines growing in our backyard, and this year Dad estimates that we picked about 100 pounds, out of which we made a lot of grape juice and ome jam, most of which we canned. That concludes our harvesting of the year.

Note to MCCain Supporters: DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!

     Yeah, I'm rooting for McCain. I don't think he is perfect (nooooooooooooooo way), but I think he holds a much better position on some important issues than Obama does.

     If you're old enough to vote, please do so. It's just killing me that I'm not old enough to vote, but hey... I can pray!

     And yes, I know I haven't been on in a while; I'm trying to sort out my time priorities, and we're getting there, but slowly... I'm trying :-)

     I shall return...

     Well, I lived through my first Tests (yes, capital T) of the school-year; the college classes, that is. In history I didn't miss one, and I haven't gotten my English exam back yet. Those are the only two classes I am taking this year college-wise. My regular school is progressing normally.

     Well, as normally as it ever has...

     Today I went to wash my hands at the kitchen sink, and found out belatedly that Jesse had tied a rubber band around the handle of the sprayer, holding the handle down very effectively. He had positioned it just right, too, so when I turned on the water it really soaked me. As far as I know, Debra and I were the only ones who got hit, because Mom told us to take it off because she needed the water.

     DId anyone watch the debate last night between Palin and Biden? We saw the tail-end of it; I thought Palin did okay, but it sounded a little rodericky (sorry, I don't know what the correct form of that word is) on both ends. Biden I thought was a little nasty. I definitely like Palin better; I think she did a much better job on her part thatn Biden did, even if he had been a little less down on McCain.

     And yeah, I am rooting for McCain. I really wish the republicans had come up with a better candidate, but I think he is better than Obama on a significant amount of issues. Palin makes me feel a little better about it.

      I guess that's all for now, folks... Fare Thee Well!

     We made cider yesterday! That was fun. I only remember doing it once before, so it was also somewhat of a novelty. We went swimming, and on the way back we picked as many apples as we could carry. That was fun.

     The procedure is jump, grab a branch and shake it as hard as you can. Meanwhile Kevin, who has absolutely no idea that there is a method behind this madness bu who is also completely happy to be part of it, crawls around on the ground piling them up. Then we brought them home and crushed them in a big pan (we...um...accidently ruined the pan...not my fault this time!) and then we pressed them in an actual cider press. It was pretty good, we got over a gallon and a half in what we carried home with us.

     That was our excitement of the week-so far.

     Fare Thee Well!

Hallo.

     I figured out this really neat trick with beet juice. See, after you boil them, there is this leftover water/beet juice that has turned a really dark purple-red. Naturally upon realizing this I (secretly)saved some overnight and put it in a pitcher on the counter the next day. Not realizing what it was, my older brother and my next in line younger brother (yeah, I'm sandwiched between boys) both took a drink.

     Henceforth all the kids will smell the pitcher before drinking grape juice.

     Let's see, what else exciting has been going on... since my last post I broke a mug, a glass cup, a plate, and a toenail (not my fault. honestly. I don't remember how I broke the cups, but the plate was an honest mistake. I accidently stuck my finger into an electrical outlet (don't ask... ) and dropped the plate).

     School has started; I am again taking two college classes with my regular work. So far it has been decently simple.

     Oh, I almost passed out, too, at a fair. That was wierd. Never happened before, but I was in a  contest in a big barn, and things started swimming and I saw lots of blackish sparkles. I was really sick for a while there; everyone was really nice, but I still felt like I was dying for probably a half-hour. Dehydrated/overheated/sick anyway don't combine very well I guess. I was trembly all the rest of the day even after I got better.

     I placed eighth in the contest, by the way. I was very pleased with that.

     I'm trying to think what else is going on lately, but it doesn't seem like a whole lot. I burnt two fingers on the stove today. Oops.

     Also Jennifer was going to can a bunch of vegetable soup, but I accidently lost the thing that goes on top of the pressure cooker to keep the pressure up- misplaced it, and couldn't remember if it was I who did it. We ended up eating the soup, and they found it the next day by the CD player, so it had to have been me. 

     Sometimes I really wonder....

     I think that's all, folks. Fare thee well.

Not really. I just wanted to say that.

Hello out there... I am sorry about not posting in so long, and I really do mean it. Summer is really hard to post through, though- I don't think we have ever had a busier summer. Sorry I've been gone so long! I probably won't be posting much until September or whenever we start up school.

     Probably the biggest thing going on here is the garden. Working on the vegetable garden has been my ongoing project this summer; technically everyone works on it, but I have been enjoying spending a lot of time out there. So far we have, as needed, picked:

-Beets by the barrel (well, not quite... a lot, though (last night I burnt them black by accident. I didn't think that was possible))

-Broccoli by the bagful (Three freezer-bags frozen, and we've had it for dinner an awful lot)

-Yellow Squash by the- um- Yucky Strainer?(About 16, probably, and more coming(Ignore the "yucky strainer". It was the best I could do on the spot))

-Green Beans by the Great Basket (I amaze even myself...)

-Corn by the cob (We'll have it coming out our ears pretty soon)

-Tomatoes by the ton (mostly cherry so far)

-Carrots by the ... canful (only picked a few so far)

-Zuccini by the....... uh............ um.........  Zigzaggging wheelbarrowful???

I give up. This is crazy. In an abbreviated list, here is the rest:

-Onions

-Lettuce

-Spinach

-Potatoes

We also have pumpkin, watermelon, acorn and butternut squash coming.

I solemly promise to try to post again within the next- year. Haha. How about two weeks or so? maybe.

Fare Thee Well.

     You can ignore that subject line. I merely couldn't think of anything else within the five seconds I wanted to spend thinking on it.

     And um, yes, it has been a month since I've posted anything, hasn't it? Whups. Sometimes I wonder if there is a great big box someplace (heaven?) full of all the good intentions I make- okay so I don't really think that, but wouldn't it be strange if when you went to heaven you could see all of yours? Mine actually would be really boring; my good intentions are generally along the line of: I'm not going to eat another cookie. Okay, what I mean is that after this next one I'm not going to eat another.

     Anyway...

     In the month since I have written, these are the highlights that have happened:

• My littlest brother (or sibling, for that matter) turned 4 years old
• The next youngest brother turned 10
• Decided to ride gymkhana day in the Fair (not until July)
• Found out we're going to Gettysburg/Jamestown!!!
• Mom/Dad's 24th anniversary (yesterday)
• Planted the garden, mostly
• Gave my 4-h presentation at State, placed 3rd

     And the littler things:

• Cleaned my room
• The boys set mousetraps in the barn and have caught 59 and, ahem, 2/5 mice...
• Got the new Gaither Vocal band CD, Lovin Life. Sweet CD
• Cleaned my room
• Watched the Gettysburg movie for the 2nd time; I got a lot more out of it this time
• Read The Killer Angels (the book that the Gettysburg movie is based on), enjoyed it
• My younger sister has begun to call me Lawrence (you have to see Gettysburg to get it)
• Cleaned my room
• Made a scrapbook for Mom and Dad's anniversary
• Cleaned my room
• Finished my history book (YES!!! It was a little dry, if you know what I mean...)
• Finished my journal, started another
• Cleaned my room
• My boss asked us to sing for his church group again (in June sometime)
• Finished cleaning my room
• My room got messy again

Not a bad month, overall.

      Since I wrote last, I developed a sudden energy for anything Gettysburg- we watched the video, and this time (I had watched it years ago) I really got into it. I read the book within a week afterwards, and Chamberlain is my favorite. Chamberlain and his brother make the whole movie/books. Why? Because, that's why. Maybe it's the mustache.

     I have gotten into the civil war a lot since then, learned a lot too. AND, we are going to Virginia next week, and we're going right through Gettysburg. Am I excited? Yup.

     Let me rephrase that.

      Am I excited?

     YUP.

     Enough about Gettysburg.

     The garden is mostly in; we still have a few things we haven't put in yet, but dad wants to wait and put them in a day or so before we leave because they are suposed to be in late or somthin'. There's nothing like lots and lots of deep, brown, wet, soft DIRT when you're barefoot. I love it. Spring tradition, I guess.

     I have a splinter in one of my feet now (several actually, but only one bothers me) which serves me right I guess, but just the same I go barefoot every year anyway. All the time. I dislike shoes except when it is cold out.

     And... I guess thats all, folks. For now, anyhow. I'll probably remember more later, but whether I shall post or not I do not know.

    And by the way, we are leaving sometime this week and I don't know what time next week we are getting back. I do know what time we are leaving this week, but at the moment- well, you know how my brain works. I'll remember later... My point, though, was that I don't know when I'll post next.  Just a heads-up.

Fare Thee Well.

Hullo!

     I felt like posting a few quotes today; I like good quotes. There is the Charleton Heston one, but you've already heard that one. I don't know who made these up:

This one is my favorite:

• "Those of you who think you know it all are very annoying to those of us that DO."

I just think that is funny!

This one is rather dumb, but very true...

• "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you."

Uh, yeah.

Also I love good robber stories. There are dozens of them about the burglars who would have made it... except that they made miniscule blunders:

• One cut off the tags that sound the alarm when you walk through the store door... and put them in his pocket.
• Another tried to batter down a door with a paint can... and left red footprints leading to his front door.
• Yet another locked his keys in his car... and called the police to get them out.
• A fourth wrote a hold-up note... only it was on the back of his resume.
• A brilliant fifth stood in line to get to a bank teller... with black clothing and a black mask on.
• And then there was the guy who told the police, "Yeah look anywhere you want... except in the garage."
• And the one who stole a neat looking gadget... didn't know it was called a tracking device.

There are a lot more like that, but I don't want to use up a ton of space.

So how's your week going? I'm working on a project this week and next week that is worth  %30 of my grade... Whoopee...

And today I tried out in a scholarship, just for fun, mostly. It went alright but not spectacular.

I'm tired, so I think I'll stop here. Fare Thee Well.

     Rotton as it seems, I think I may as well get used to the fact that I only post on here about every two weeks. Oh well, it isn't like y'all are missing anything...

     Spring finally made it! We somehow missed the mud this year, but it must still be on it's way. Spring, for me, is when the flowers are starting to bloom, the snow is competely melted, and suddenly you can't wait for summer and school to be out.

     Not that I dislike school of course, but I'm ready for a break.

     I was down at the creek the other day with Lucky, who is my dog mostly, and we found a whole pile of (harmless) snakes out in the sun.

     Lucky adores anything that moves, and it looked like fun, so we waded in, and the whole squirming mass of at least eight snakes were slithering all over the place, finally reaching the partially-water covered foundations of an old wellhouse. It was fun. I stood on top of the rocks and me and Lucky played with them for probably a half hour. The snakes were mad because we kept chasing them back underneath the rocks, but we weren't hurting them at all.  

     I found a huge one well over two feet long that I picked up and showed to Dad (my slightly warped logic being that I should pick it up and ask him if it was poisonous... it isn't as dumb as it sounds, really...). I know it sounds stupid, but I knew that Kevin (3yrs old) plays down at the creek and if it was poisonous I wanted it dead. It still sounds dumb, doesn't it?

     It wasn't poisonous, and we let it go; I looked up poisonous snakes in our area later, and they are pretty scarce.

      Not a whole lot going on right now; I'm up in my room killing mosquitos as I type this. I can't stand mosquitos. Never have, never want to. They drive me nuts.

      Not that that has anything to do with anything.

     Anyhow, Fare Thee Well!

     Singing went really well; I was happy with how we did. We practiced so hard, easily thirty-forty times within four days. It really paid off, though, and I'm glad we worked on it so hard.

     Hey, Charlton Heston died I think last Sunday. He was the guy who played Judah Ben-Hur in the "Ben Hur" movie and Moses in "The Ten Commandments."

     In case you are wondering, no, I am not writing this because I follow the actions of movie stars with my every breath. I actually have a point for these few paragraphs.

     He was president (I am pretty sure, anyway) of some Rifle association and I got the impression that he was fighting pretty hard for gun rights. He said once,

     "They want to take our guns away, and I have one thing to say to that: over my cold, dead, body."

     Anyone heard about Calafornia's homeschooling law? Here is the quote again- I changed it a tad and now claim it as my own:

     "They want to take our guns homeschooling away, and I have one thing to say to that: over my cold, dead, body."

     Oh Yeah.

     Fare Thee Well!

Should I change my background and all the stuff on here? I thinkses so, but I am not sure. It just struck me that my format/pictures/entire BLOG is really boring. Any ideas?

And, seven-eight of us kids are singing the offertory in church this sunday. Gulp. We are singing It is Done, which is a song done by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (that written in hopeful hope that someone has heard of them) and believe me, it is both very high and has to be sung very loud to pull it off.

     My problem when singing is that I usually have a choise either to sing really loud at the dramatic parts (like it is supposed to be), or to sing quietly and have a %100 guarantee of hitting the note. Oyyyyy...

     I'm really hoping this goes well on Sunday; pray for us if you think of it! My 17 year old brother is the oldest one singing with us, and the youngest is 3, so yeah-we might not hit some of the notes.

     Not much else going on; Fare thee well.

     P.s. Happy Late Easter! I forgot!

Told you I'd be back.

     Well, making dinner went alright. just I broiled hamburgers in the oven, and they turned out- well, edible, anyway. At one point I asked Michael to check them... he asked Jesse to check them...  ten minutes later I asked Michael if he checked them...Michael asked Jesse if he checked them...

      Dinner was , ahm, crisply done.

     Seems like an awful lot of my dinners are. The first time I made dinner by myself, years and years ago, I made toasted cheese sandwhiches, and my brother thought they were scraps for the chickens. Heh, whups.

     Since then I have gotten a good deal better, but those hamburgers were a reminder to keep my eye on the business at hand. I tend to get sidetracked a lot, and cooking isn't my best talent.

     One helpful thing I did find out, though, if an experiment goes wrong, the little kids will eat it anyway unless you told them that wasn't how it was supposed to taste. Sounds rotton, I know, but hey, it works, and they never know the difference.Have no fear, I do not poison my younger siblings, but once in a while it helps... :-)

     My brother got the card game "Rage" in his easter basket, and we have been playing that a lot. It is a pretty good game that I think was out of print for a while, bu evidently it is coming back. It is slightly similar to "Hearts", and the highlight of the game is sabotaging (if I spelled that right) the play of the person winning. It is a really fun game.

     Not that that had anything to do with the rest of the post.

     Anyway, Fare Thee Well.

Time for a new post or what?

     The competition went well; Debra and Jesse did really good for their age groups and I did pretty good too. I did qualify to go on to state, so if I do well there I can hit the Nationals. Not likely, but I can dream...

     We all got sick in the last two weeks, so I haven't been on in a while. It's nice to actually have a reason why I dropped off the face of the earth :-P

     Whups, like I'm about to do again. Gotta go help make dinner, but I will be back... at some point. I really do mean it!

     Fare Thee Well.

     Pray for me tomorrow if you think of it; my younger sister and brother and I are all going to a big contest tomorrow on horse knowledge. I am going to give a speech, and if I pass this one and the State competition afterwards I have a chance to go to Nationals. That would be sweeeet...

     There are other competitions, too, harder ones, and I don't have a lot of time now to post, so pray for us tomorrow if you get a chance!

     Fare Thee Well!