Sunday, November 30, 2008

In which I am seduced by the monkey god and fall into temptation

Men should not be left alone without their wives. Grave errors result. This great truth now has hit home in ways I did not anticipate. Yes I fell into temptation. It started innocently enough. I should not have been hanging out in certain districts like that. Worse yet I should not have started looking into windows and imagining, "What would that be like?" At first I resisted. But more and more often I found myself taking certain ways home, while on the face of it seemed innocent enough. I mean, I could walk home that way. Couldn’t I? Certainly, it was a little longer, but not that much longer. But I found myself drawn to those windows again and again.



In the end I was finding any excuse to walk by them. In my loneliness, I found that I would justify it by one excuse or another, thinking it doesn’t hurt anything just to look. But then it became an obsession. More and more I was drawn to that window, until I found myself one day actually going into the store. It was warm inside and filled with wondrous curiosities the likes of which I had never seen before. I mean I am just a guy from Moab basically, what did I know of the ways of the world, or with what power those kinds of things could draw me? The fall came swiftly. My rational self broke down. It was if I was possessed by my ape nature and I could not resist the temptation placed before me. If only Lori had been there to stop me. If only my parents training could have somehow bubbled up through the terrible lust that consumed me. But I gave in. I couldn’t seem to help myself; it was like watching myself in a movie all the while screaming at the actor as I watched him self-destruct on the screen, “Stop. Don’t do this!” but there was no stopping it. The train had lost its breaks; the boat its rudder. Pick your metaphor as long as it conveys unstoppable forward motion towards annihilation, it will describe what happened. On the day it happened I had a feeling I should not walk past the window.




I felt warned away as if somehow I knew the temptation was growing too much to handle. But there I was looking in the window again. It was like a work of art sitting there in the window. No, not like a work of art, it was a work of art. So I went in. The person at the desk must have sensed how nervous I was as I picked out the object of my lust. “A fine one indeed,” he said with a smile. “Very rare and precious.” It was too much. I caved in like a mine that’s support timbers have rotted to wormwood. So here it is:



I now own a Hagenauer. An art deco bronze from the famed Hagenauer brass works that closed 30 years ago. I know I shouldn’t have. But I couldn’t help myself. It was too perfect—me an evolutionary biologist and here an ape poised in the moment between four-legs and two, holding a rudimentary tool as it climbs into the future. Please. Don’t tell Lori what I’ve done. Is she finds out she will take an ax to me like her great-great-grandmother did to three husbands—everyone of them killed because they bought inappropriate brass works. But what’s this! I’m happy I did it! Happy I tell you. I won’t go back to my previous brass-less existence. I own a Hagenauer and take full responsibility for that means. And no I won’t be repenting.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving

What I am thankful for is the wonderful Thanksgiving dinner I (we) had with family. Darrell and Dyann put on an amazing meal. And the company was great!!!
Here is a picture of one of the master chefs. I thought I got a picture of Dyann but half of my pictures turned out fuzzy.
We all had fun laughing, talking and being goofy. I think Timothy perfected the goofy part. Sorry the picture is fuzzy. I think it still captures his goofiness!
There was so much food. We were all stuffed by the time we were done eating. Everything tasted so good!
It makes me so happy to see my (0ur) boys hanging out and talking. I think each one of our boys is so wonderful and Emily too. I am so very thankful for my kids.
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Nathan and Luke had enough with the adult and went to feed the duck. The ducks had a great time chasing them and trying to keep them separated.
Emily and Kiera were inseparable. No one saw them much because they were off doing their own thing and having fun. They too, were chased by the ducks.
It was a great dinner and tons of fun. The only thing that was missing was Steve. He was the main topic of a lot of conversations. I am so thankful for my dear, sweet husband and I can't wait till he gets home. We are going to have a special thanksgiving dinner for you because we are all so thankful you are in our lives!!!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Band Banquet


Last Tuesday night was the marching band banquet. I sat with Nathan and a bunch of his friends and parents. We ate dinner and it was so good. They had Panda (oriental food) cater. Oh my heck.....it was so good!!! Mr. B did awards for all the band and color guard members. You wouldn't believe what award Nathan got. He got the award for being the band clown.
Why am I not surprised?
This is a picture of Nathan and Stephanie getting their awards. I am really going to miss marching band next year!!
Just for an update on Emily. She is working really hard at dance. Next month her teacher said she will be ready to move onto point shoes. I will be taking lots of pictures of her in her new point shoes for everyone to see. Plus she's just an inch away from being in the splits.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Wiener Christkindlmarkt

It's the Vienna Christmas Market. Every year Vienna pulls out all the stops and puts up the largest Christmas Market in the world. Hundreds of stalls with food, crafts and gifts of very kind. Christmas stuff galore: ornaments? A Thousand kinds. Nativity seances by the score. I took a stroll having a cup of hot wassail (when I asked for the Kinderpunsch (Non-alcoholic wassail) the woman looked at me like I'd said, "Would you mind spitting in that cup for me?", I bought a paper cone of hot roasted chestnuts, and had a wurst sandwich. But I'll let you droll over the pictures. (Many are blurry because my flash broke but youll get the idea.)

































Drooling yet?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Guns of Steel

Last night Timothy came over to hang out with Nathan, Emily and I. I thought since I have this strong buff guy here I could use his man power to lug a futon mattress up the stairs to the car so I can take it to DI. While he was down there he found Steve's old rifles.

Nathan heard all the commotion downstairs and ran down to see what T was doing. So now I had both of them playing with Steve's rifles.

I ran and got the camera because it's a blogging moment.


Then they just kept getting goofier and goofier.

Just to let you know. There was NO amo in the guns or in the house. It would be dangerous with these goofy guys. But not to be outdone, Christopher came over tonight to play with the rifles with Nathan.Steve, don't worry. The rifles are fine and there is no damage to any of them. They justs had tons of fun posing with them. Timothy and Nathan did finally get the mattress upstairs and in the car.