I finished this over the weekend. I enjoyed the writing style of Doug Fine and his topic was very interesting. Garden, raising goats, changing lifestyle. It is thought provoking. His blog was interesting. Doug Fine website. He was on Jay Leno last week, but that is not my thing. enjoy

This is has been an ehhh... week. Tuesday i discovered that some jacka%$ has stolen my debt card number and cleaned out my acct and overdraft $. I filed the police report poke with the bank and began the process. This is going to take weeks to straighten out. The tax acct is crunching numbers for the IRS and I have one more doc to take to him Monday morning. I am not sure if I will ever bother to do my taxes again. I intended to keep working on the yard, but all of my time escaped me this week with running around and house tasks. I was temporarily satisfied on Thursday morning when I put the bags of junk for the garbage man. Oh, I had to call them this week too. It seems like their automated billing systems stinks, I had an 83 cent credit with them and they decided to send a temporary block in service note. When I called the lady just laughed and said her computers were crazy. Ummmm. Seems like that company could save some money by not sending patrons with credits notices and envelopes.... We have my nephew for the weekend and he is turning in the charmer. He is very sweet. I will try to snap some pics over the weekend. My daughter has decided to go to prom with a friend, so she feverishly running to find the needed outfit. always something. Enjoy the weekend.

one more thing... much to my angst and disgust the daughter brought home a darn 8 week old Blue Healer puppy....Yeah just one more thing...

Progress
The yard is beginning to shape. Our garbage can is filled to top with yard debris and crap, literally. I have small row mounds in the garden. I am afraid I might might be a bit early, but with a little chance I might make. I need to buy a bale of Hay to use as insulation for the pending seedlings. That is on my to do list. For some reason I love hay, I know random, but growing up in rural Michigan hay was common, essential.
I met with the tax accountant yesterday and the good thing is that we do no owe what the IRS audited us. We will owe some..Another unexpected expense. It seems as of late they are monthly. I guess I need to just add into my budget... unexpected stress and $$. The accountant was really nice though. Considering... Immediately after I had to have a Filet-O-Fish, Comfort food of sorts.
In the coming weeks we have baby showers, birthdays and wedding showers. I need to run to Hallmark and pick up a dozen cards it seems. We received two graduation announcements in the mail yesterday. What throws me is that both of these girls are my daughters close friends and the reality of that is that she will be next.... We are already talking about senior pictures and etc.. She left the Burger King job about a month ago and had a great interview at Noodles and Company yesteraday. She had the job in just a few hours and starts this week. She is used to having her own money now! The days are getting busy so I have less time to read. Bummer, I really do like the alternative.
My brother turned 39 this month and my niece turned two. Hard to believe. All of the news is not good news elections, economy and the Mormons in Texas. I am trying to ignore all of that now.

More of the same this week.
The days went by pretty quickly. All of the progress I wanted to make has quickly slipped away.
Working on the backyard is a chore and much needed. I was able to gather up three bags last Sunday afternoon. I planted radish and lettuce. Out of the four raised beds that is the only one that is really ready. I want to get the other bed ready today and get the spinach in and maybe a few more rows of radish. I am really looking forward to the garden this year. Last year I was excited but ran out of time and focus, so the fruits are not what I had expected. After reading and researching the eating locally subject, we Could eat local in my own garden for some things!
We had snow and warm sunshine this weekend, It has been fun. Never know what to expect.
I have been busy at work and neglecting both my writing and reading.
I helped my daughter put together a care package for a friend at NTC. It was pretty fun! With all of the snack size items it is easy to send a variety.
Next week is Earth Day and I am enjoying the all of the grocer's going green, local and organic. I am going to stock up on Tuesday! We are having a recycle day at work - we can bring monitors and old printers to recycle, That would be great to get more junk out of my house!
I am thinking about joining a food co-op. I need to find out more about it, but it looks like you could save some money and get things local easily.

We are having Spring showers this morning, but up the road 20 miles form us they are having Spring snow.
So, we got the nicer end of the stick at this point.
My lawn and bushes will love the fresh rain, unfortunately my dogs will try to try track most of the mudd in the house.
Last night we shared our mission team experience at the church. We took a few videos and tons of pictures, so it was nice to share with everyone. When I get time I will have to sit down and map out what I heard, saw and experienced in further detail. But bottom line we just need to love people as Jesus did.
My daughter is taking the ASVAB tonight to see if she qualifies for a 40K bonus with the Guard and the ACT on Saturday. She has test anxiety and has nervous stomach already!
I have drill, so I am the road this weekend.
Just busy, busy.
We were audited by the IRS, so I have an appointment with the accountant in a week. The letter scared the crap out me.

My niece turns two next week and my brother turns 39. AMAZING. Time is flying.
More updates to follow.

history lesson

The Maidens' Tower is a round bastion tower located along the ancient coast of Baku. It may once have been part of the city walls that enclose the old town. Its site was inhabited since the Paleolithic period and reveals evidence of Zoroastrian, Sasanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian presence in cultural continuity, revealed in different structural methods used in its construction. The foundation of the tower is dated between the sixth and the seventh centuries, while the shaft is supposed to have been completed by the twelfth century.
The Azeri name of the tower, Kiz Galasi, is translated as the Maidens' Tower by Ilona Turanszky. However, Vagif Aslanov claims that the word root "gal" in Azeri, apart from meaning a "fortress", can also be translated as "to build a fire". Different etymological analyses of its name, along with the obscure configuration of its interior, have generated a plethora of interpretations about its function. It is widely accepted that the tower was constructed as a singular defensive structure and probably also formed part of the city walls of Baku, however, it is also claimed to have functioned as a Zoroastrian Temple, a Zoroastrian "Tower of Silence", a lighthouse or as an observatory.
The shape of the bastion is quite unique. It consists of a cylinder seventeen meters diameter, adjoined by a wall segment to the east that is trapezoidal in section. It is flanked on the rear side by the massive city walls, of which, fragments remain today. The height of the tower varies between thirty-two to thirty-five meters, while the height of the interior space is twenty-eight meters. The walls are made of brick and they taper from five meters at the base to four meters at the top.
There is a single entrance on the southern face of the tower. Inside, the central cylindrical void is divided by shallow vaults into eight floors with a single room on each floor. There is an aperture of three meters diameter at the center of each floor plate that runs through the whole bastion and serves as a source of lightning for the interior. Loopholes and small windows provide additional light and air circulation. The ground floor is linked to the first floor by a ladder, from where a spiraling staircase leads up to the other seven flours of the tower. A large opening cut on fifth floor wall has been interpreted by some as a doorway.
A thorough survey conducted by Russian military engineers at the beginning of the nineteenth century found that the original structure of the tower had remained unchanged with the exception of altered and remodeled roofs and vaults. The vaults were remodeled again at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The Maidens' Tower was added to UNESCO is World Heritage in 2000, along with the Walled City of Baku and the Shirvan Shahs' Palace, and amended to the list of World Heritage in Danger in 2003.

Update on Blake - One year later

Last year I wrote a bit about our friends son Blake and his battle with Leukemia.
We received a note today one year later after his transplant.
Amazing. thank you for your prayers!

the note from his father:

Greetings Fellow Prayer Warriors and Friends,

Last Thursday, March 27 marked the one year anniversary of Blake’s stem cell transplant. It is hard to believe that one year has already transpired but I wanted to take a moment to thank you again for your faithful prayers on Blake’s behalf. He is a walking miracle. We met with his doctor and everything looks great – although several spots (I won’t mention some of them) are sore because he received his first round of childhood immunizations all over again since he has a brand new immune system.

Blake has been taking online courses at a local community college last semester and this one also. He does great keeping up but I think he will be ready to get into a regular classroom in the Fall. We are not sure yet where that might be and if there is anything you would still like to pray for Blake, it would be for God’s direction on next steps.

This one year anniversary is just another reminder to us of God’s faithfulness and also the faithfulness of God’s people. You have blessed us by your prayers more than you can know! I hug Blake every day and I think he gets a little tired of it, but I am so thankful that God has gifted him some more time on this earth.

May God bless you as you continue to serve Him faithfully!

too cute

We let Baby Michael have his first ice cream free handed.

It was the sweetest darn thing. He enjoyed the cone and the bath after. Notice the dog took free advantage of his generosity.