I've had misadventures in kite flying before, resulting in humiliation and physical harm.
This year, however, I have so far escaped injury and embarrassment. At least as far as kites go. How? I've not been able to get out much for some time.
Mr. Amazing Husband has been taking the girls out quite a bit while Meemers recovers from her surgeries. It's not quite house arrest, but we're not supposed to take her out in public until all this surgery business is over... at least until RSV season ends.
One day Mr. AH took the gals to the park with our dollar special and Ls's bi-plane kite for a good time. The wind was gusty, and soon the kites were torpedoing out of the sky, pieces scattering amuck. The girls came home frowning and jaded with this fabulous sport.
Perhaps, I think, I may try to remedy this.
I have read that as long as you get the dimensions right on a kite, it doesn't matter how big it is. I found instructions for a super-cool mini kite online, which I can't find now, but maybe if I gather up some of Mr. AH's engineering paper and some broom bristles I can figure it out! Voila!
(And by the way, I always wondered, why did I not have "economist paper" in college in which to work my equations? Admittedly, it was economical paper, but I digress...)
Maybe we could even trick/talk the neighbors into making kites, too, and we could have a huge neighborhood tournament just like in The Kite Runner! Except without the glass-coated string. Or the kite shredding. Or the running...
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Recently... another catch-up
Life is always pleasantly busy with a new babe in the house. And what joy! I love being a mom.
So anyway, I've been occupied with other important endeavors, so here are some handy bullet-point-news-in-brief from our household:
*WOE! The basil is dead! The birds have out-witted us again.
*Our curious hummingbird neighbor is back! We've had a few sightings in the last week.
*We had to evacuate our apartment... again... because our neighbors poisoned the apartment complex by using noxious chemicals near our heating system intake... again. (Different neighbors, same result: 3 days at Gram's). They moved out of state today. Unrelated, but appreciated all the same.
*Little Meemers is scheduled for surgery in a few days... her third.
*While at Gram's I got to hear lots of really interesting stories. She's 97 and has the best memory of anyone I've ever known. Seriously, she's amazing. It's so neat to chat with her, I've heard all about the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1916, life in the 20s, amazing pioneer stories... I am very fortunately blessed to have such a wonderful grandmother.
*NiNa's school had an art show, and one of her pieces was featured on the school-wide flyer. Our budding artist!
*I am recovering from a mysterious back injury.
*Ls has perfected her cute little dances. She does this bum wagging one that is hilarious. "What in the whole world!"
*We unwittingly had an all-corn dinner yesterday: Corn on the cob, corn chips, cornish game hens, followed by pop-corn. Lest this sound unhealthy I will point out that we also had salsa.
So ends this edition of catch-up. Meemers finally went to bed (so I don't have to type one-handed), but it's WAY past my bedtime.
So anyway, I've been occupied with other important endeavors, so here are some handy bullet-point-news-in-brief from our household:
*WOE! The basil is dead! The birds have out-witted us again.
*Our curious hummingbird neighbor is back! We've had a few sightings in the last week.
*We had to evacuate our apartment... again... because our neighbors poisoned the apartment complex by using noxious chemicals near our heating system intake... again. (Different neighbors, same result: 3 days at Gram's). They moved out of state today. Unrelated, but appreciated all the same.
*Little Meemers is scheduled for surgery in a few days... her third.
*While at Gram's I got to hear lots of really interesting stories. She's 97 and has the best memory of anyone I've ever known. Seriously, she's amazing. It's so neat to chat with her, I've heard all about the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1916, life in the 20s, amazing pioneer stories... I am very fortunately blessed to have such a wonderful grandmother.
*NiNa's school had an art show, and one of her pieces was featured on the school-wide flyer. Our budding artist!
*I am recovering from a mysterious back injury.
*Ls has perfected her cute little dances. She does this bum wagging one that is hilarious. "What in the whole world!"
*We unwittingly had an all-corn dinner yesterday: Corn on the cob, corn chips, cornish game hens, followed by pop-corn. Lest this sound unhealthy I will point out that we also had salsa.
So ends this edition of catch-up. Meemers finally went to bed (so I don't have to type one-handed), but it's WAY past my bedtime.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Reflections on David
Lately I have really enjoyed reading the scriptures. We read from the Book of Mormon every night as a family, but recently I felt like I should have some personal study and read the story of David in the old testament. Then I decided that to really understand it, I should start with Saul. And then I figured that the book of Ruth was so close to all that Saul stuff that I might as well start there... but I digress. I've just finished reading about David's fall.
David was walking around on the roof one day and saw the beautiful, but married, Bath-sheba. Being a heroic, successful and popular king, perhaps he figured he could have what he wanted. He wanted her. In 2 Samuel 10:4 it says,
"And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned to her house."
Bath-sheba learns that she is pregnant, and she sends word to David. To summarize briefly, David decides to hide his sins instead of repenting. So, he has his servant Joab send Uriah, Bath-sheba's husband, off to a particularly dangerous war zone so that he will be conveniently killed.
In the Bible Dictionary we read this about David:
"Like Saul he was guilty of grave crimes; but unlike Saul, he was capable of true contrition and was therefore able to find forgiveness, except in the murder of Uriah. As a consequence David is still unforgiven, but he received a promise that the Lord would not leave his soul in hell. He will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium. Because of his transgressions, he has fallen from his exaltation."
David lost his exaltation forever. I find that a particularly tragic tale. Here was a man who lead what many consider to be the golden age of Israel. He united the tribes of the region into 1 nation and was recognized as the king throughout the country. His government was based upon religious principles, and, again quoting the Bible Dictionary he had "developed that conscious dependence upon God which was the secret of his strength throughout his life."
David is again mentioned in D&C 132:39.
"...and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord."
In Alma 42:18-19 we read:
"18 Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.
19 Now, if there was no law given—if a man murdered he should die—would he be afraid he would die if he should murder?"
I believe that David suffered a spiritual death for his sins.
The man who slayed Goliath has fallen! The Lord's annointed to lead Israel! All the wonderful, righteous, heroic deeds that David performed throughout his life cannot erase his fall from exaltation. This is truly a very tragic cautionary tale.
In closing, I'll quote once again from the Bible Dictionary:
"David's life illustrates the need for all persons to endure in righteousness to the end. As a youth he is characterized as being a man after the Lord's "own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14); as a man he spoke by the Spirit and had many revelations. But he paid, and is paying, a heavy price for his disobedience to the commandments of God."
David was walking around on the roof one day and saw the beautiful, but married, Bath-sheba. Being a heroic, successful and popular king, perhaps he figured he could have what he wanted. He wanted her. In 2 Samuel 10:4 it says,
"And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned to her house."
Bath-sheba learns that she is pregnant, and she sends word to David. To summarize briefly, David decides to hide his sins instead of repenting. So, he has his servant Joab send Uriah, Bath-sheba's husband, off to a particularly dangerous war zone so that he will be conveniently killed.
In the Bible Dictionary we read this about David:
"Like Saul he was guilty of grave crimes; but unlike Saul, he was capable of true contrition and was therefore able to find forgiveness, except in the murder of Uriah. As a consequence David is still unforgiven, but he received a promise that the Lord would not leave his soul in hell. He will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium. Because of his transgressions, he has fallen from his exaltation."
David lost his exaltation forever. I find that a particularly tragic tale. Here was a man who lead what many consider to be the golden age of Israel. He united the tribes of the region into 1 nation and was recognized as the king throughout the country. His government was based upon religious principles, and, again quoting the Bible Dictionary he had "developed that conscious dependence upon God which was the secret of his strength throughout his life."
David is again mentioned in D&C 132:39.
"...and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord."
In Alma 42:18-19 we read:
"18 Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.
19 Now, if there was no law given—if a man murdered he should die—would he be afraid he would die if he should murder?"
I believe that David suffered a spiritual death for his sins.
The man who slayed Goliath has fallen! The Lord's annointed to lead Israel! All the wonderful, righteous, heroic deeds that David performed throughout his life cannot erase his fall from exaltation. This is truly a very tragic cautionary tale.
In closing, I'll quote once again from the Bible Dictionary:
"David's life illustrates the need for all persons to endure in righteousness to the end. As a youth he is characterized as being a man after the Lord's "own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14); as a man he spoke by the Spirit and had many revelations. But he paid, and is paying, a heavy price for his disobedience to the commandments of God."
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