Wow; it's been over a year since I've posted a blog here. I fear I've been rather neglecting this site. I am SO excited, though, to see that people have continued to visit Emeridot Forest (as well as Velvety Dragon). Thank you SO much! This last month, there was only one day that nobody visited--and I think that was Independence Day. lol Anyway, I really, really appreciate everyone's support and feedback and am so happy that you enjoy my site! THANK YOU!!! It's been busy around here this last year. The residents here have changed considerably. Some cats have gone to live with family elsewhere, which is tough, but bearable. On a very sad note, however, two of my dogs and one of my cats died late last year. Another cat died just this last month. My one remaining dog (well, that is, when you don't count my sister's dog haha) is Jessie. An outside dog for 14 years, she has now been an inside dog since November when her brother died. She celebrated her 15th birthday in April. Shortly after that, she suffered from Peripheral Vestibular Disease. (For more info Link). It also has many other various names. She has recovered from the initial problem, but as a result of her lying on her side so long, she developed pressure sores on her hips and shoulders. She is now regaining her strength, working hard to turn herself around at times. She can lift up her head from the shoulder quite well now. And I am very, very happy to report that the pressure sore on her left hip is completely healed up. The one on her right shoulder has never gotten bad; we've been able to keep it from turning into an open sore. Right hip is doing fantastic! Nearly healed! The left shoulder is the worst at this point, but it, too, is doing great. We've been helping her sit up and lay on her belly the this last week. Oh, I can't wait for her to walk again! :) But...patience....
Summer is in full swing now. The leaves are growing unbelievably fast. The first flowers I saw this year? Some purple flowers by the side of the road in town. I don't know what they were, though. :P
However, yesterday, I spotted a violet (which I've learned is probably actually a viola, but I've always called them violets) outside our house yesterday. Also found that the bluebell buds are starting to open. I took pictures of the violet and will post one of them.
I've been focusing a lot on trying to capture birds. I finally have some pictures of yellow-rumped warblers. They're not very good, but they're a start. I will be posting those when I'm done with blog. Finally got a good picture of a robin, as well. Just in the last few days, I have photographed robins, woodpeckers, juncos, and warblers.
I've also gotten some really good sightings of hermit thrushes. Now, normally I wouldn't know for sure if it were a hermit thrush, a gray-cheeked thrush, or another similar looking bird, however, at least one of them had the courtesy to sing for me, making him unmistakable. In my opinion, the hermit thrush has the most beautiful song around. :)
I also have some drawings I will try to post. I hope you enjoy! :)
Oh, yes, and the weather has been gorgeous! Mostly in the 70s, some cooler, some warmer. We could use a little more rain, though. God bless! :)
Ahh! The joy of spring! Spring and summer kind of blend together around here. It seems that spring is a feeling in the air before the snow melts; something that says "Summer's coming." Then it becomes a muddy, muddy mess as the snow melts. Had to redig some trenches this year. Well, now the spring streams are dried up, and the sun is out and so warm.... The dogs are happily lounging around in the sun. Ahhh, beautiful! And then...today a song was added among the cheerful varied calls of the chickadees and "sweeeet" of the redpolls. I have yet to see one, but the robin's song rang out sweet and clear. There's something about the robin's song...it takes my breath away every time.
Welcome back, sweet singers! :)
I feel a bit sad today. Maybe it's the overcast weather and my sleepy, slightly allergy-inflicted head. Of course, it's also that it's been almost a year since I lost my Jeneen.
However, what I'm thinking about right now is the death of Osama bin Laden. Am I sad that he's dead? Not really. As far as I'm concerned, he was dead a long time ago--his soul was already lost. But I don't feel any joy over the news, either. While I may approve of what has happened, that doesn't mean that I should be happy about it.
"Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?" (Ezekiel 18:23, NIV).
When something needs to be done, the Lord will see that it's done. But why would he rejoice in it? He will rejoice in the salvation of His people, but how could He rejoice over the death of His son whom He created? Osama bin Laden was made by God--His son. Jesus died for him when He died for the rest of us. How it must've broken His heart as Osama went farther and farther away from Him and released his terror upon God's other loved ones!
David's reaction to his rebellious son's death comes to mind: "He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: 'O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!'" (2 Samuel 18:33).
Are we no better than our enemies, America? We rejoice and have big celebrations over a man's death? There is nothing wrong with being glad about this. But I find the idea of partying over it sickening.
That said, please don't get me wrong; I am extremely proud of our troops! They have worked hard and done our their job, protecting us. THANK YOU!!!! I love you!
I don't understand the great victory people claim this to be, either. For years, people have speculated that bin Laden was probably dead already. To me, it doesn't really matter if he's dead or not--just that he is no longer effective. Bin Laden is not all there is to al Qaeda--in fact, in recent years most of the terrorists' attempts have been made without any orchestration from Osama.
Still, it is a victory....I know I sound like I'm contradicting myself. This is a great accomplishment on our part. It is good that we tracked this guy down and got him. But I guess it just seems to me like so many people are taking as "It's over! Yay!" or that to them it's about vengeance rather than justice. I am not ashamed to admit that back in 2001, when I heard the announcement that we were going into Afghanistan, this then-13-year-old girl cried. Did I believe that we were doing the right thing? Absolutely! But I cried and I prayed that if there was the remotest chance that any of these terrorists might be saved, that God would spare their lives until they gave their hearts to Him.
The closure is good...and it is good for us that we see that we have accomplished one big thing that we have been striving for for nearly ten years. I guess I just have such mixed feelings.... I stopped really thinking about getting bin Laden a long time ago. I accepted that we probably would never know if we got him or not. It's strange to suddenly know that we have.
And I guess the issue is...I can't...I can't like that he's dead. I don't exactly dislike it, but I can't like it. I do like that he has been STOPPED and that we got him. But I don't think I could ever like death....
Now that I've probably made myself out to be a self-righteous good-two-shoes holier-than-thou moralistic freak...haha Let me just say that I am not judging anyone else's reactions--they are your own reactions and I will not judge you on them. I respect them and I respect you. It is not my place to judge anyone.
Have discovered snowshoe hare tracks on the property. Hope to see the hares themselves soon. I haven't seen evidence of them on this property in a few years. Also have been seeing a lot of black-cappped chickadees as usual. A few days ago, I saw two common redpolls near our feeder. A little over a week ago, we were visited by a pair of gray jays. They must have just been passing through because I haven't seen them since that day. The Iditarod is in full-swing, and I've been trying to keep up with it via the internet. The race is moving fast, but it's not clear who will be the champion. The leaders keep leap-frogging drastically. Should be a fun one to watch. Keep up with the Last Great Race at www.iditarod.com.
Fairbanks has gotten a lot of snow the last two days. I would estimate at least a foot. Right now the sun is shining, but the wind is blowing and it's snowing. There is so much fresh snow that some of the pathways that were just shoveled out yesterday can barely be seen--they had been a few feet into the snow already.
Now the subject I have chosen to dedicate the title of this blog to--a raven. I climbed up to the tree loft today and cleared off most of the snow. There was at least a foot and a half of snow on it, and I was concerned it might not be able to handle it. There were some ravens flying around and landing in the trees, some talking. Then the wind started to pick up and I noticed one raven being blown around in the wind.
At first I wondered if the big bird was being blown off course by the strong wind. But then I realized the truth; the raven was purposely "catching waves" so to speak. I watched in amused amazement as he flew up high and caught a breeze over and over again. "Now that's a real wind-surfer!" I said to myself.
Some of the time, he made me a bit nervous--the wind was so strong and was blowing him around like a leaf. "I sure hope you know what you're doing and are being careful!" I told the raven.
Yet another reason why I love ravens. They will never cease to be a great form of entertainment. They are beautiful, graceful, magnificent, and intelligent creatures.
"Stop and consider God's wonders" (Job 37:14, NIV).
Howdy everybody! :) I apologize for my long absence from the site. Life has been full of many things.
I adopted a new kitty about a month ago. She is currently sleeping on my lap.
For so long I worried that if I fell in love with another cat, I would somehow start forgetting Jeneen or that she wouldn't seem as special anymore. But I was utterly wrong. Velvet is wonderful, but she is no Jeneen. In the same way, Jeneen was no Velvet. They are both equally wonderful.
I believe with my whole heart that I will see Jeneen again someday. And when I do, I can't wait to introduce her to her new little sister. I know she'll love her! Jeneen was always very nurturing with other cats. She loved to play with them, cuddle with them, lick them.... Jeneen will love having a little sister--especially knowing that she comforted me when Jeneen couldn't be here.
A moose cow and her baby have been hanging around our place lately. I have some good pictures of them that I will have to post. It was Velvet who alerted me to their presence, actually. She was sitting in the window, gazing out intently.
Their tracks are hard to make out in the deep, powdery snow. But I found one place where the tracks were clear--under the tree loft where Jeneen is buried. Apparently, it's just high enough that the baby was able to walk under it. There's snow there, but now more than a few inches, so the tracks are beautiful. I wish I could've taken a picture, but I didn't have my camera with me at the time and haven't gotten back out there.
I need to save all my pictures to disk so I can delete them from my camera and take more pictures, but I've been having some difficulty with some problematic software. Hopefully, I'll get it worked out soon. :)
God bless you all!
Let's Play
INTERPRET This LAW!
By Brietta Kiele
A lot of time, money, and effort is put into interpreting the law all the time. Let's see how we can do on it.
In each of the following, please choose the best interpretation. Only go by what the words actually say. Do not add meaning in where there are no words. If none of the choices appropriately represent exactly what the rule says, please write in your interpretation in the space provided.
Mom's Rules:
1. Don't hit
a. Don't hit the dog
b. Don't hit anyone with a stick
c. Don't hit anyone who might hit back
d. Don't hit anyone with anything
e.
2. Wash your hands before you eat
a. Wash your hands before you eat if they look dirty
b. Wash your hands before you eat meals (snacks don't apply)
c. Wash your hands before you eat
d. Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap and hot water, and scrub them for 3 minutes before you eat
e.
3. Wipe your feet before walking through house
a. Wipe your feet before walking through the house if they have mud on them
b. Wipe your feet on the mat before going through the house if the carpet was just shampooed
c. Wipe your feet before going through the house if you have time
d. Wipe your feet before going through the house
e.
4. Don't eat in your room
a. Don't eat messy things in your room
b. Don't eat anything in your room ever
c. Eat in the kitchen
d. Eat with the family
e.
5. Finish your homework before you play
a. Do some homework before you play even on the weekend when you don't have any
b. Finish all of the homework for the week before you play ball
c. Finish all of the homework you currently have before you play
d. Help your sister finish her homework before you play.
e.
6. Brush your teeth before you go to bed
a. Brush your teeth sometime before you go to bed
b. Brush your teeth for two minutes with Crest toothpaste before you go to bed
c. Brush your teeth immediately before you go to bed
d. Brush your teeth with a toothbrush before you go to bed
e.
7. Feed the dog before you eat breakfast
a. Feed the dog before you eat each meal
b. Feed the dog DOG food before you eat breakfast
c. Feed neighbor's dog before 10:00 each morning
d. Feed the dog (whatever dog that may be) before you eat breakfast
e.
MY THOUGHTS:
While we can all guess what the intent of the author of the rules was, only the author really knows. The only thing we can do is take the author at her word and believe that she put thought into the writing of her rules.
It would get you in big trouble if you chose to eat in your room just because you weren't eating messy food in there. It is not your business to interpret Mom's reasons for her rules. It is your job to follow them.
Technically, rule 6 does not say that you must brush your teeth before you go to bed each day. It only says that you must brush your teeth before you go to bed. If you brushed your teeth yesterday, you brushed your teeth before you went to bed tonight.
Technically, rule number seven does not require that you feed the dog if you don't eat breakfast.
Thankfully, in the case of Mom's Rules, the mother who wrote them is usually close by to clarify any confusion or misinterpretation. This is why she wouldn't spell everything out completely. Also, she may waive a rule whenever she sees fit. Also, Mom's Rules only apply to her children as long as they are children or whenever they are under her roof.
But when laws are written in our government, they are meant to be lasting, not only for a few people as long as they are minors (approximately 18 years), but for ALL the people for all time, for every generation. For this reason, lawmakers are as specific as possible in their words. Also, they will often give definitions of the words they use.
It is the lawmakers' job to say exactly what they mean in the laws and it is our job to not read things into the laws that they write that are not there. Most laws are debated and worked on over a significant period of time; they did not haphazardly vote in a half-baked idea as law.
If for any reason, we believe that the law is not well-written and should be changed, we can do that by debating it, writing it, and voting on it. But we cannot go forward by simply saying that the previous lawmakers didn't write the law the way they meant to.
What is Cap & Trade?
An example with cookies.
Congressman Noah Tall notices that his children are getting fat and doing badly in school because they're eating too many cookies. Oh, no! What should he do?
He takes it to congress and a law is passed that no company can make more than 150 cookies a month.
Company A only makes 20 cookies a month, so this is not a problem.
However, Company B makes 200 cookies a month, so it must cut down on its production.
Or must it?
The government in its wisdom has put into place a program known as "Cap & Trade." Through this program, a Cookie Equalization Agency is started.
The Cookie Equalization Company helps Agency A sell 50 of its "cookies" (or cookie rights) to Company B.
So everybody's happy, right?
But there's a big problem (more than one, in fact).
1. Q. Why was the government limiting cookie production in the first place? What was the purpose?
A. To reduce cookie production.
Did this happen? No. Everybody is doing exactly as they were doing before; company A is still making 20 cookies and company B is still making 200 cookies. The production is the same.
2. Q. So who is benefiting from this?
A. The Cookie Equalization Agency
Q. What product are they selling?
A. Company B's nonexistent cookies.
Is this worth it? Is Cap & Trade a legitimate policy? You decide.
Please set aside your beliefs on global warming/climate change. I believe that Cap and Trade is a separate issue. We can debate the cause, the existence, etc. of climate change somewhere else.
In fact, I would like you to approach the issue of Cap and Trade as if you do believe that CO2 emissions are causing significant and dangerous climate change (whether you really do or not.)
Will this policy help? And do you believe that helping is the motive of those proposing the plan?
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