On the Second Day of Christmas...

Big snow of 2007 -- 2012 couldn't measure up.

We got snowed in!  Our son and family were going to Pennsylvania from our home to visit his sister and her family. It was snowing vigorously this morning causing speculation and vacillation about whether they would try it or not since west of us the weather was even worse. As he left, David said we should pray if they weren't meant to go that they couldn't navigate the hill down the road. Larry and I began our rosary praying that if they would be in danger the Lord should prevent them getting up the hill through the intercession of St. Scholastica. Why St. Scholastica, you ask? She was a nun and the twin sister of St. Benedict of Nursia one of the founders of monastic life. Scholastica and Benedict usually arranged a visit once a year at a residence halfway between their respective monasteries. On one occasion, the last time they would ever meet, Benedict got ready for the return trip since, according to his rule, the monks could not be away from the monastery overnight. Scholastica begged him to stay so they could continue their holy conversation but he refused. At that, Scholastica prayed that God would prevent Benedict from leaving since he would not listen to her pleas. Such a torrential storm began that Benedict and his companions were forced to stay. God granted her prayer and filial love that day prevailed over Benedict's monastic rule.

Today, our visit with our son and his family was extended by inclement weather and an icy hill that forced David to back up the car all the way to our driveway, about a tenth of a mile. While we are delighted for the extra time together we are sad for the grandchildren who were disappointed not to be going to see their cousins after all. 

The prescription for disappointment is (after exhortation to offer it to get forgotten souls out of purgatory) a six-hour Pride and Prejudice marathon for our very unhappy almost teenage granddaughter, outdoor snow play, Yahtzee, a jigsaw puzzle, and plenty of goodies. It is certainly an appropriate way to continue the celebration of Christmas! 

We hope all those affected by this big snowstorm are safe and enjoying the blessings of family life. 

Thinking about Beekeeping

We've been talking about keeping bees for several years and I think 2013 will be the year we start. I've been doing some research and here are a few videos for the prospective beekeeper. Looks pretty straightforward n'est-ce pas? And it doesn't look like a huge investment in equipment. One of my resources suggested beginners should start two hives at once. We'll keep you posted on our progress. I'm interested in finding a beekeepers' group to join. There are several within about an hour of here.





I really like these next two about installing the hives. When he sprays them down with sugar water he says it's like beer and TV for bees. LOL!

Meeting Up With Aliens - In Roswell, NM of course

Roswell, NM and the UFO Research Museum was right on the path to Albuquerque so how could we not stop? It was actually very interesting and there are plenty of unexplained happenings not only relating to the famous 1947 crash reports, but with the strange crop circles and other unexplained happenings. What I found particularly interesting were the testimonies from folks who described being threatened by government agents to shut up about what they had seen. One display on an archaeology project at the site in 2002 sponsored by the Sci-Fi channel and archaeology professors from the University of New Mexico described the participation of the daughter of Major Edwin Easley who responsible for securing the site in 1947. On his death bed he referred to the victims of the crash as "creatures." So is it all a bunch of hokum? Or is there more to learn? Efforts are being made to declassify everything that had to do with the 1947 events. Whatever the truth, it was an interesting way to spend a few hours.

Larry was particularly fascinated by the crop circles. As one website says:

The specific placement of the shapes indicates that, whoever the circlemakers are, they have an intricate knowledge ofEuclidean geometry (the geometry of a flat surface introduced by the mathematician Euclid of Alexandria). 

So that seems to rule out our dumbed down high school students carrying out a hoax in the middle of the night. And if it is a hoax where are the imprecise crop circles that fail to show the precision these show? Strange! Maybe we do have strange visitors sending us messages. (Cue for the Twilight Zone music.)

Aliens on parade.

 

Crop circle - the precision of these geometric patterns is unexplained.

Descriptions from the 2002 archaeology dig.

What did Nancy Johnston's dad really see?

Will the real aliens please stand up?

 

The Chihauhau Living Desert

One of the two bobcats

Our last adventure in Carlsbad was to visit the Living Desert Museum and Zoo. It was fascinating. While the desert looks so arid with little life, it actually has many more life forms than greener pastures. 

For example, the Chihuahua desert has hundreds of types of grasses, many more than in wetter areas. Fascinating! We enjoyed meandering around the Living Desert and enjoyed our first sight of a roadrunner. We didn't see the cougar, but saw two handsome babcats and some gray wolves. Most of the animals are there because they were rescued. 

One of my favorite displays was the small botanical garden filled with beautiful flowers, cacti, etc. I was amazed at the wide variety of cactus and the wonderful names!

organ pipe cactus - very fitting name I think

This looks like a type of hibiscus. I don't recall its name.

barrel cactus - love the pink spines!

These wild pigs are the same type in a child's story, The Lion's Bed. But I can't remember what they're called. 

This photo was a miracle. The roadrunner never stands still and I had a heck of a time catching him! 

The Scenic Carlsbad Loop

After our visit down under, we took the scenic loop on top. It was fascinating to think that below us another world existed. I'd rather live on top, though. The nine-mile loop was on a rough road, but it was worth the hour it took to travel around. We ended our day with a delicious dinner at Yellow Brix in Carlsbad which is about fifteen miles north of the caverns.

Carlsbad Caverns - Wow!

We're used to Virginia's caverns which, compared to Carlsbad, are little mole tunnels. The "big room" in Carlsbad could hold 14 football fields. It was huge, but also very lightly lit. I didn't get many good photos. The real adventure was walking down unaccompanied into the cavern. It's about a mile down to the main level and then a one and half mile loop around the big room. Walking into the black hole reminded me of the old movie, Journey to the Center of the Earth, parts of which were filmed in Carlsbad. The rock formations are a lot less colorful than Luray Caverns because the rock is mostly calcite which is grayish white. They don't have the orange and blues from iron and copper. Using the "night scene" setting on the cameral added color that wasn't really there. We spent an enjoyable four hours in the caverns but were glad to come out again into the light. I don't think I'd enjoy being a bat.

Journey to the Center of the earth begins here.

Beautiful formations all the color of the gray rock in the foreground.

The underground rest area reminded me of an airport concourse with souvenir kiosks and food vendors. 

This picture shows a ladder used by the cowboy who discovered the caverns to go into one of the lower rooms. 

Two Pictures I Love because of all the Love Bundles Shown!

These two pictures include the grandchildren from from three of our children. I only need photos from the other two to bring an even bigger smile to my face! A big hug to the photographers, daughter Alice and daughter-in-law Martina. Hugs to you both!