Fright Night

Lying in bed during the long dark night

With the east winds howling

Must be like trying to sleep in a haunted house.

howling

growling

roaring

snarling

rumbling

moaning

groaning

creaking

crocking

squeaking

squawking

screeching

scraping
scratching

heaving

hurling

pitching

flinging

rubbing

twitching

huffing

puffing

panting

gasping

wheezing

snorting

grumbling

Weird and eerie sounds all through the night.

I put my robe by my bed so I could quickly put it on in case we had to evacuate; or so as not to embarrass the rescue workers when they discover my body in the rubble after a massive tree crushed the house killing all occupants.

Blessed morning.

Blessed sunshine.

We survive yet another wanton East Wind attack.

America the Beautiful

When I woke up in the middle of the night,

I lie there thinking:

I am so very grateful that when I awaken,

I don’t hear gunfire or explosions

or suicide bombers or fighting or fire.

I’m grateful I have never had to watch

a child starve to death in my arms;

or to be separated from family members by war.

America the Beautiful.

The Land of Plenty;

where we live relatively free of fear.

I’m thankful I have a clean “lived-in” house

and food and clothes.

The closest we come to violence was expressed by Ed this morning,

“Thank you for making my bed, even if it killed ya.”

Our battles are in jest.

Ed and his dad are always racing to see who gets showered first;

Who gets dressed first; who goes to bed first:  Who wins?

Ed chides DeRay every morning about making his bed.

One morning when DeRay came down,

Ed, always on his back, bids:

“Did you make your bed? True or False?”

The closest we come to starving is having dinner a half-hour late.

Like Ed,

I love this planet;

I love America;

I love this town;

I love this house;

I love Ed’s car;

I love my bed.

I love my family,

each and every one.

Blessings incalculable.

Spawndona

There is a pulse inside us that is also outside.

It’s all around us.

It’s in nature.

As well as in the cosmic arena of the universe -

The sun, the moon, the stars.

Being electrical beings,

our bodies run on our own very specific electricity grid;

more commonly known as our magnetic resonance or frequency.

Every single living organism on earth lives by this certain frequency.

This pulse.

I like that we are connected to all living things

as well as the entire universe.

I’m grateful to be alive;

dwelling in this vast systematized organization.

God’s creation.

One morning, with eyes closed, I saw

brilliant spheres of multi-colored twinkling lights

fill the entire scope of my vision.

Startling. Astonishing. Amazing.

Lasting only a few seconds.

I remember when we knelt and prayed

around the breakfast table as children,

with my eyes tightly closed,

I could see colored shapes;

And often when I lie in savasana,

I see colors like red gruel

moving and swirling

but I have never in my life

seen anything as glorious as this.

Was it the universe?

Was it heaven?

It was magical.

A glimpse into the magnificent.

Wondrous beyond description.

And I haven’t seen a color or shape since.

Like it was my one and only chance to connect

to                          ?

Low Snow

“I can’t believe we rode our trikes in February,” Ed says when he comes in after riding for two hours. We wore jackets but a guy passed us on a bike wearing shorts and a t-shirt. This morning when I went out to pick up the paper, a kid was riding to school on his bike in shorts. 63 degrees this afternoon. I don’t know what it was this morning. Someone in Park City was complaining because it rained all night. He kept hoping it would turn into snow but no. In February. There’s no such thing as global warming. It’s a farce made up by the scientists. They are pranksters all.

Near-record low snowfall totals in Salt Lake City in January

Salt Lake City residents enjoyed a white Christmas, but snow has been nearly nonexistent ever since.

National Weather Service meteorologist Christine Kruse said Monday that the snowfall total at the Salt Lake City International Airport for January was the fourth-lowest since 1885.

She says only 0.3 inches of snow fell. That's far less than the 30-year-average of 12.5 inches.

In some parts of the mountains east of Salt Lake City, snowfall levels were also below normal. At a station near the Alta Ski Area, 28.5 inches of snow were recorded. The average for that station is 71 inches.

Kruse says high pressure systems over the West kept temperatures above normal and prevented precipitation from becoming snow.

Saturday February 7 - 68 degrees in Fruit Heights.
65 Degrees broke a record on Thursday - 3 degrees above the previous high.

"I enjoy being me."

   Amy noted that Ed never says the words that trigger  a sometimes violent response from him. "Las Vegas" has been a constant for many years. Her plan is he doesn't eat until he says the word, theorizing this will desensitize him. Last week, he got so he could say "I love Las Vegas" without  even being prompted.
   Encouraging.
   This week, the word is "stupid". He just could not bring himself to say it. "Why do you want me to say a word I can't stand to say?" he asks politely. We sit there for an hour with his breakfast in front of him. The longer he goes hungry, the more unreasonable he becomes but I needed to follow through. He talked about everything. "We had a good time swimming yesterday, didn't we?" "I sure had a good time a week ago today." "I love the cats, Mom." "I can't believe Gnocchi was in the sink last night." "I'm looking forward to my birthday trip."  "Can you believe I've got something to look forward to in four weeks?" "I love Tuesdays." "I sure enjoyed Modern Family last night." "I love playing games with you, Mom." "I sure enjoy my new chair, Mom." "This year is going well." "I enjoy being me, Mom."
   I offered him suggestions using his core beliefs, like "It's stupid to shop on Sunday." or "It's stupid not to obey all of God's commandments." but he couldn't bring himself to say the word. Amy is more pragmatic with her examples: "It's stupid to step on broken glass with barefeet." "It's stupid to touch a hot stove."
   Finally he blurted out: "You're a stupid idiot!"
   I was instantly offended, then I realized he had used "stupid" in a sentence.
   I hope it will be easier next time.
   He may have won that round.

Lunch:
   Without fanfare, he stood by the table and said "stupid" then admitting, "That's what bugs me."
   "You did good today, Ed."
   "It's sure going well."
   "I never had it so good, Mom."
   "Do you have to write down everything I say?"

A couple of days later:
   "Who do you love, Mom?"
   "You."
   "If you love me, you wouldn't threaten me before every meal."