Greg and Jeannie

Scholarship Awarded

2009-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Wyatt Ammon Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to Johnathan Schultz, St. Mary H.S.. Johnathan is the son of Joanne Schultz and the late Russell Schultz. He is going to attend SDSU and major in Aviation. Congratulations!

Not Knowing

2009-04-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

I am reviewing a movie today. Last weekend we saw "Knowing" starring Nick Cage. I will not elaborate other than to say it stunk, badly. The last movie I saw that was this bad was "AI" starring Jude Law. "Look Teddy! It's a lock of Mommy's hair!"

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2009-03-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patricks Day to all! Even though our parade was last Saturday there will still be wearin' 'o the green today and I would really like to find a nice corned beef stew for lunch. In the spirit of the day, I'd like to share an Irish joke -

A man stumbles up to the only other patron in a bar and asks if he could buy him a drink.

"Why of course" comes the reply.
The first man then asks:
"Where are you from?"

"I'm from Ireland" replies the second man.

The first man responds: "You don't say, I'm from Ireland too! Let's have another round to Ireland!"

"Of course," replies the second man.

Curious, the first man then asks: "Where in Ireland are you from?"

"Dublin," comes the reply.

"I can't believe it," says the first man. "I'm from Dublin too! Let's have another drink to Dublin."

"Of course," replies the second man.

Curiosity again strikes and the first man asks: "What school did you go to?"

"Saint Marys," replies the second man. "I graduated in '62."

"This is unbelieveable!" the first man says. " I went to Saint Marys and I graduated in '62, too!"

About that time in comes one of the regulars and sits down at the bar. "Whats been going on?" he asks the bartender.

"Nothing much," replies the bartender. "The O'Malley twins are drunk again."

An Historic Day

2009-01-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

President-elect Obama gets inaugurated in less than an hour. It is a day I never thought I would see in my lifetime, a black man is president of the United States. When you look at how far the nation has progressed since Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, it is nothing short of amazing. Good Luck to you President Obama. Our nation needs a healing touch to guide us through these times of unprecedented troubles. You have my support and you will need the support of all Americans to get through this.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! The girls are all home and we are snug and warm and safe. I wish the same for everyone.

Wyatt singing along with Puttin on the Ritz

2008-12-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is from another of Wyatt's micro cassettes. He is singing along with Puttin on the Ritz.

Wyatt's Voice

2008-12-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have finally accomplished my goal to get Wyatt's recording of his bad day in Amsterdam posted on the internet. I hope you enjoy his story. We are so happy to have this recording of Wyatt. You have to click on the title, then click on download. I have also posted it on facebook, both on my profile and In Memory of Wyatt Ammon. Merry Christmas!

Marginally Autumn

2008-10-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well here it is, Oct. 13th and the temp is in the 40's. Ha, just parodying my last post which was almost exactly 5 months ago. So, long time no see but I clearly haven't missed it. Ginger is off hiatus which has given me the impetus to try again.

It was a good summer at the lake, although it seemed to flash by in the blink of an eye. There was a new bathroom built and in working order by Memorial Day weekend, much to everyones relief. So that was the lake project for the year. Hopefully next year we can just enjoy it without major construction.

Jeannie & I rode the Harley to Sturgis for a week and to Arkansas for a few days. She professes to love it now so after all those years of fighting about it now we embrace it and have to find something else to fight about.

I've watched our retirement accounts implode to the extent that it no longer seems like an option so good thing I like what I do, I'll be doing it for a long, long time.

And that's my last 5 months in a nutshell, really sounds pathetic when you realize you've done nothing interesting or extraordinary in that time. Oh well, you just can't make up excitement like this folks.

Marginally Spring

2008-05-14T22:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is, 12:49 am on May 15th, 2008. Temp is in the 40's, I'm sure. Today was the 3rd nice day we've had all year (I am so not kidding). The upside is, the next 3 days are supposed to be highs in the upper 60's as well. This would be a first for 2008, 3 nice days in a row. I know I haven't blogged in a long time, the longer you wait, the harder it is to get back into it. Suffice it to say, not much new. There will be a new bathroom on the lake cabin, hopefully by Memorial day. There is not a full leaf on a tree, although there are plenty of buds. This is the latest spring I have ever seen in my life. It is really affecting my ability to be happy. I think a lot of people are struggling with the same malady, just the same cold, gray, day after day. Here's to a better tomorrow!

Spring? Fuhgeddaboudit!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

The forecast this morning is calling for 4-8 inches of new snow here tonight. I can't wait. I mean really, what could be better than that? A crisp, clean covering of newly fallen snow blanketing the landscape, providing the perfect holiday setting. What's that you say? It's not the holidays? What do you mean it's almost April? This can't be, can't be happening. Oh yes it can! Right here in good old South Deazy, where we have winter and its derivitives for 9 months of the year, with a brief intermission of days where the temp and humidity match (90+) and skeeters the size of hummingbirds flash by on gale force winds. Yup, it just don't get much better than life here on the Northern Plains.

2008-03-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Archibald sends St. Patrick's Day greetings to everyone!!!!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

Not real timely with that salutation I know, but still, better late than never.
Christmas was wonderful. The girls were all here for 9-10 days, depending on. There were no fights, loud voices, cross words or name-calling the whole week. Everyone seemed to like their gifts. No dis to Wyatt but I think everyone was glad it wasn't a thrift-store Christmas again this year. At least I'm pretty sure the girls were glad. I did not get to cook like I'd planned. We were just so busy with engagements every evening it just didn't happen. They'll all be home again the end of Feb. for Joslyn's b-day party so I'll try again then. For now, life is back to normal. Which I'm sure is not the same as normal at your house.

December update

2007-12-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

It seems that everyone in the family has gotten out of the blogging spirit and maybe that's not a bad thing. Do we really want the entire world to know all of our business? But I'm also tired of looking at me with the Halloween mask on so I'm going to blog for the sake of moving that post a little further down the totem pole.

Life has been busy the last couple months and the clock is certainly winding down on those last minute projects I thought I'd get done before Christmas. I guess they'll remain on the list so I have something to do after the holidays are over. Ginger is flying in on Thurs. and Kyla & Allie drive home Fri. night after work. Jeannie tells me they will all be home for 10 days so that should be interesting. We will all have to take an oath of patience and tolerence, I'm sure we'll need it. I am excited for everbody to be together again. Hopefully we can do lots of stuff together as a family again. I'm also looking forward to whipping up monster meals, carb-laden comfort food that we ate so much of when the kids were little. Better get back to work!

Haloween 2007

2007-10-31T19:15:00.001-07:00

We had a fun night tonight. We sat out on the porch and scared the little kids when they came up to the door. At first they thought Greg was fake. Then when they went to get candy from the pumpkin he snarled at them. It was really nice outside and we had it all lit up with pumpkins and candles. I was a clown. Trick or Treat!

Facebook | My Photos – Trip to Washington DC

2007-10-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Facebook | My Photos – Trip to Washington DC
Check out some photos of our trip. We had such a nice time.

Washington DC Adventure

2007-10-16T07:45:00.000-07:00

Facebook | Ginger Ammon's Photos – Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad come for a visit
We had a great time. Here we are at the Georgetown wharf, just getting ready to sit down for cocktails before dinner. We ate at a nice restaurant with live music. The seafood was great.

Our Autumn Vacation

2007-10-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like a long time since I've blogged and it has been a while but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy, just too busy to write.

It all started last spring. I won't go into all the details for that is another story but let's just say that that story ends with me buying airline tickets for Jeannie, myself and Grandma & Grandpa Ammon to Washington, DC in the fall to visit Ginger, then rent a car and drive to New England to see the autumn foliage. Sounds like a good plan but a long time in the future so I kinda forget about it.

Suddenly fast forward 6 months and it's a week before we leave and now it seems imminent and very real. Of course, there is always work to take care of before we leave and as always, gets really busy right up to takeoff. Finally, it's the night before, G & G are here spending the night before our early flight out of SF. We arrive in DC after lunch and pick up our van. We plug Ginger's address into Grandpa's GPS and there we are. Considering that Grandma had never flown before, this was a major accomplishment in itself.

There are many stories to be told about traveling on an automobile trip with your parents, especially if you are in fact not 6 yrs old. I won't bore you all with the stories, most of which were the you had to be there variety but still pretty darn funny. I will say that we left DC and veered west. We passed through PA and into NY, hitting both the Catskill and Adirondack Mts. We spent 2 nights in VT, where I saw every LL Bean Special Edition Subaru AWD Outback wagon ever made. I am not kidding, at least every other car on the road in VT is a Subaru. It is bizarre and kind of frightening in a neo-hippy, eco-friendly tree- hugger sort of way. Also discovered in VT that bumper stickers are making a huge come-back. ("What if they had a war and nobody came." "Impeach him now!") You get the idea. When we crossed the state line into New Hampshire it was as if everyone in the van took a huge breath as though we'd been unconsciously holding our breath while passing through this foreign land. New Hampshire was much more to my liking though at the time I didn't know why, it just had a better vibe. Later Ginger told me that NH is a haven for people with Libertarian leanings. I don't agree with their entire philosophy but I will embrace the smaller government aspect of it. But I digress.

After finally finding peak color in the White Mts of NH, we head east and hit the coast at Portsmouth, NH. Now it's time for the Dreaded Drive Down I-95. I did Portsmouth, Boston and NYC in one day, slept good that night! We rolled back into DC in time to do some more sight-seeing there (we'd already done some before we left). Ginger graciously offered us the use of the beds in her apt. while she took the floor. She also arranged reservations at some of the areas best restaurants. It was a memorable trip that we all enjoyed. It was better than a trip, it was an adventure.

Tony the Tiger

2007-09-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

So here he is Tony Tiger. He was quite a hit with the kids. Tony kicked up his heels, wove back and forth across the street giving high 5's, and hugged all his fans along the way. Afterwards he took a nap.

A Challenge

2007-09-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new journaling technique and I would like to challenge anyone out there to join me. I am writing down the answer to this question: What five seemingly insignificant little things made me happy today? I'll give you one of mine: Putting on a pair of black knit gloves with gripper spots on the palms. Get the drift? Really little things that give you a happy feeling. Let me know what you come up with if you don't mind sharing a thing or two.

Homecoming

2007-09-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Today is Homecoming so we have to participate with our LandMark Realty entry, right? The theme was commercials which is pretty broad. We chose Kellogs Frosted Flakes. I kinda volunteered to be Tony the Tiger which pert near killed me. We just got back and I am drenched with sweat. Who knew Tony had to race up and down the street, back and forth, giving high fives, doing little acrobatic stunts all the while roaring "Quarriers are gggggreat!" All I'm sayin' is, you try doing that for 6 blocks sometime. In a tiger costume.

Important Birth Announcement

2007-09-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Mr. Wyatt D. Baumberger. Born 9/4/07 @ 3 pm. 7 lbs 2 oz. Proud parents are Julie & Pete "the bomb" Baumberger of Dell Rapids. Young Wyatt will be spending some time in the ICU due to complications from pneumonia but should be fine. Thank you to the Baumberger family for this lasting tribute to our Wyatt's memory. May he live on in our hearts forever.

I'm buying a cow

2007-09-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the store to buy milk because Tuesday is "cheap" milk day. I grabbed a gallon jug and headed for the checkouts. "$4.56" she requested. After clutching at my chest and staggering around she informed me I had Land O' Lakes milk, which was not on sale. So after making the switch to the store brand, my milk only cost me $3.57. Is that not outrageous? I wonder how much of that goes to the farmer???????? maybe .50 cents? Somebody once said there's 2 cents worth of corn in a box of Corn Flakes. It's crazy.

Time

2007-08-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

... we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless -Paul Bowles

Home- Art From The Ashes

2007-08-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this site. Lauren is designing beautiful jewerly! Maybe there is someone special that you would like to give a unique gift. She can design one just for you! She is making me one in remembrance of Wyatt. Home- Art From The Ashes

STURGIS!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

It seems like only yesterday I was blogging about my trip to Sturgis with Kyla. Another year has gone by and the 67th annual Sturgis Rally is in the history books.

The trip last year was not made without some pain and suffering on both our parts. The '06 Softail Deluxe, beautiful as it is, was not created for long distance touring. So when I mentioned to Jeannie that I would like her to accompany me this year, she wisely declined. Secretly, I was relieved. As diehard a Harley rider as I am, even I didn't enjoy riding it for long distances. Jeannie did allow that were something more cushy and plush to appear in the driveway, she would reconsider the trip. The hunt was on! On the third phone call I scored. A dealer had an '07 Ultra Classic Electraglide he was willing to make a deal on. 24 hours later it's in the driveway and we're packing for Sturgis. Because of prior work commitments we weren't able to leave before Wed. morning. We were loaded down as we pulled out of town at 6:30 am and headed west. The new machine handled everything we asked it to do with comfort and style. Another new addition to the camping gear was an inflatable air mattress, not the self-inflating closed cell kind, but the real comfy kind that are 8 inches thick. I bought a little fan that plugs into the cigarette lighter and pumps up the mattress in under a minute. Sweet! We found a nice shady spot under a tree and we were in business.

I haven't heard the final figures but the numbers were way down for the rally this year. I'm sure the price of gas had something to do with that. Jeannie suggested we print t-shirts that said "I rode my motorcycle to the motorhome rally." It is true, people are not willing to rough it anymore and have the means to travel in style so why not? I guess I would feel the same way, given different circumstances. For now, I like to be self-contained on 2 wheels. I love to tent camp on my motorcycle as I travel. With the new air mattress I love it even more. So camping was great (except for the M80's being detonated next to our tent at 1 am by a drunken pyrotechnic neighbor.) Riding in the Black Hills was great, seeing and being with old friends was great, the weather was perfect except for the morning we left for home, it was cloudy and drizzly. That turned out to be a blessing as the sun eventually came out but the day was moderate temps with low humidity and hardly any wind. It is 387 miles from the campground to our front door and by that time we were both ready to get off. Great trip and I'm looking forward to the next one already.

PS- Jeannie's camera got stolen so we have no pictures but maybe we can share some with a friend that took lots of pics. Thanks Tammy!

More Words To Live By

2007-08-07T09:59:00.001-07:00

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake. -Marie Beynon Ray

Happy Birthday to Allie!

2007-07-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was Allison's 22nd birthday and Allie and Kyla came home to celebrate. We had a pizza party Friday night and then went up to the lake on Sat. morning. The weather was perfect but the water was a little green. That didn't stop us hardy ones from getting in the water but some ladies with a more delicate nature declined. We really had a fun day doing all the usual lake stuff except nobody wanted to be pulled on the tube, probably because there was a tad too much algae. Saturday afternoon and evening we had even more company. We capped off the evening with a moonlight boat ride to the Broadwater Resort to hear the band. It was a perfect weekend.

It's just me and the furkid

2007-07-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Jeannie is gone to Blue Cloud Abbey on vacation all this week so Sugar and I are on our own. So far it hasn't been too bad. Sugar is much more affectionate to me when Jeannie is not around. It has been so dang hot that we can't even go for walks at night, and it's not even the heat really, it's the stifling humidity. But it could be worse, it could be January. I'll never complain about the weather as long as I can walk outside without a jacket and ride my scooter to the office. We could stand a good rain too but that will happen in its own good time. Things are pretty calm in the real estate world, the usual mid-summer lull. I've learned not to panic but it's still disconcerting when things slow down. Things are still fine at the lake cabin. I'm glad we worked to get things finished by Memorial Day weekend cause now it just feels good to walk in and relax. I still have to remodel the bath but that isn't urgent. We're pleased that we bought in the off-season cause there have been quite a few places come on the market recently that aren't that much better than ours but are priced waaaaaaaay out of our league. We are very content with our little place, it's perfect for us. Now if I just had a new boat... Just kidding!

2007-07-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pictures of Wyatt. He loved teaching those little kids how to swim, and you can see it in his expression. They loved it when he canon balled off the diving board and got them all wet. I wish I could turn back the hands of time.

2007-07-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

I guess that summer is keeping everyone from blogging too much, myself included. The cabin on Lake Madison has been great, we are enjoying it very much. We spent practically the whole week up there last week because of the holiday. Working too, but it's nice to be able to go up at night. We had a great July 4th holiday with practically the whole family at one time or another. The new to me( but in reality 1995) boat worked great until we were coming back to the cabin on the night of July 3rd. The alarm went off which scared me silly cause I didn't know what it was. Finally figured out it was overheating and after a phone call, determined the water pump was going bad. One of the things nobody thinks about until it breaks. Oh well, we'd had most of the company up by then. All things considered, a great weekend. I even have a very slight tint of color on my lily white legs. A nice contrast to my beet red head.

Poker Run 2007

2007-06-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks Kylee for the great pictures. It was a fun day!

2007 Wyatt Ammon Memorial Poker Run

2007-06-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures from the poker run. I will download more later.

Success

2007-06-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

Success
He has achieved success
who has lived well,
laughed often, and loved much;

who has enjoyed the trust of
pure women,

the respect of intelligent men and
the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it
whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty
or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others and
given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;
whose memory a benediction.

--1904 Bessie Anderson Stanley

published 11/30/1905 in the Lincoln (Kansas) Sentinel - an adaptation of this is often attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, though nothing like it has been found in his writings.

Words to Live By

2007-06-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

The Poker Run is Still On

2007-06-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, the Poker Run officially starts in 26 minutes. It is still raining, but I am confident that it is going to end by 11.Hey, I see blue sky! Even so there is going to be a party bus for people to ride if they don't want to be on motorcycles. A lot of people come in cars too so that will be ok. We have the tshirts all ready to go. They are bright lime green this year. It will be fun no matter who shows up. Last night Erik and Maggie came to stay, so that is a treat to have people staying here. We stayed up late watching Mystery Science Theatre last night. They are so funny. Well, wish us well. I wish you were all here. We'll take pictures!

Video Archive

2007-05-29T10:28:00.000-07:00

And here is another video. The local stations did a marvelous job of reporting.Video Archive

Argus Leader Media - Video: Life

2007-05-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here is another story from the argus leader. Please take a minute to watch the short video.Argus Leader Media - Video: Life

Mother's Healing Garden | KSFY.com Your Source for News, Sports, Weather, and Community Events Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104 | Local & Regional News

2007-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

Please click on this link to view a story about the Mothers' Healing Garden. The dedication was such a time of blessing. Be sure to click on the "watch the video" below the picture and caption. Thanks!Mother's Healing Garden | KSFY.com Your Source for News, Sports, Weather, and Community Events Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104 | Local & Regional News

Rainy day

2007-05-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

It's a gray, cloudy day and pouring rain so it seems like a good time to catch up on some visiting. Jeannie alluded to something in a previous post but it's never been said. We bought a lake cabin on Lake Madison. It's a cottage in the best sense of the word, not even being yeararound, only for summer use. And so we two, being never content to leave anything alone and just use it, have been painting, remodeling and basically working ourselves senseless to make a sil purse out of a sows ear. Ain't gonna work but at least it should be habitable. It's been an adventure. Yesterday I just about blew a hole in my head the size of a .50 caliber bullet trying to prime the well pump so we have water. Got the well to work only to discover the plumbing is broken. Later.

Give Love - Find Peace

2007-04-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

It is really crazy. I went to the dentist today. I get the gas that relaxes you. It is marvelous. I get all these wonderful insights. Today I really got what it is we are here for. Give Love. The kingdom of God really is within us. The other insight I got was: The heart goes on, pain is secondary. I also got a tiny message from Wyatt. It was that heaven is so amazing that none of the pain matters at all. It is like the best euphoric feeling that you have ever experienced is just the tip of the iceberg to the wonderful reality that awaits. It was so good to relish these thoughts. My teeth are all fixed so I won't be able to have any more drug induced insights. Darn.

Time for a New Post

2007-04-27T06:53:00.000-07:00

Time speeds steadily along to who knows where? Here it is almost the end of April! This weekend is going to be beautiful! I haven't planned out the weekend yet, but I'm guessing I will be painting the cabin. That will be fun though. We are going to paint it a light yellow with white trim and maybe blue shutters. We are also going to paint the entire interior white and various pastels to cheer things up. We are working hard to get it spruced up so we can spend the summer enjoying it.

We are also in the planning stages for the 2nd annual Wyatt Ammon Memorial Poker Run. It is set for June 2nd. We have to get posters ordered, t-shirts, plan the route etc. It will be fun again we're sure. I hope you can come!

On May 26th we are having a public dedication for the Mothers' Healing Garden. It will be a nice affair. Dennis Daugaard is giving a short speech, Mark Docken is giving a blessing, Carol Baum is going to sing, and we are doing a balloon launch where everyone will be invited to send off a balloon in honor of someone they have lost. We will be busy until then planting all kinds of flowers and roses, erecting the altar, and laying more pavers. The garden is beautiful! Come on the 26th if you can.

Business at LandMark is going really well. We are busy. I'm so glad that we are both in the same line of work. We feel very fortunate to be able to work together. Who would have guessed we could get along so well being together 24/7?

I think of Wyatt all the time, wondering what his existence is like now. I miss him so much and I'm still in disbelief that I won't see him again in my lifetime. That just won't sink in. Life is change, time is death itself. We all will die. Why won't our brains operate in this reality? It is a strange phenomenon, part of our survival instinct, but strange all the same. I visualize Wyatt in the next place, enraptured by it all, exploring and experiencing everything with a zeal only Wyatt had. I can't wait to be there someday too. But in the meantime I focus on this life and try to see the good in people. I want to reach out to others in meaningful ways. Really aren't we all just trying to get through this life the best we can? Wouldn't it be better if we all just try to build each other up as we go through?

I know people don't take the time to read super long blog entries so I'll end this now.

Mothers' Healing Garden

2007-04-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

DellRapidsInfo.com - Dell Rapids, SD
Check out this article about the Mothers Healing Garden. Isn't it great! We are really excited to get out in the garden this spring. It is coming along so well. I hope you can stop and see it next time you are in Dell Rapids.

New Hair Color

2007-04-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

I got my hair weaved this week. It is styled a little different too. I have only colored my hair one other time in my life. It is kind of reddish now. It is nice, my hair has a little more body too. What do you think?

John Smith 400

2007-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

John Smith 400

Donald came to visit

2007-04-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

Donald Dover came to visit us as part of his travel around the country tour. It was really nice to see him and catch up on things. He had a friend, Matt, traveling with him. Donald is starting his 5 month assignment with National Geographic, reenacting the voyage of John Smith. He is really excited. I am going to try to link the website that is going to chart the voyage. More later!

2007-04-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Greg had a great idea to have a party to share our tropical vacation pictures and stories. We invited other people who have taken trips. We also had tropical drinks: Pina Coladas, Marquaritas, Daquairies, and many concoctions with fresh fruit. It was a blast! We had 30 friends show up and partied the night away. So much FUN! It was a cold rainy day so it was really nice to have something fun to do.

2007-04-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting some pictures posted of our Puerto Vallarta trip. We had so much fun! The weather was perfect. We both felt so relaxed and rejuvenated. Probably our most relaxing vacation ever. We LOVE Mexico. Our resort was all inclusive and beautiful, but next time I think we are going to go it on our own. There were a lot of little hotels in the Old Town. We like mixing with the local people. That was probably our favorite part. It is a very safe place to go, they have a very low crime rate. We were never nervous when we were out and about. We took the public transportation everywhere, and only got lost once. The people are very friendly and tolerant of us foreigners. The language barrier was not even that troublesome. We wished we could have stayed another week. There's always next year!

Only in SD......

2007-04-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well technically that's not completely true cause I know they're getting blasted in WY again too but still............School was called off at practically all schools in northeast and northcentral SD today due to high winds, blowing and drifting snow and white-out conditions. We're getting a little snow here in Dells but Geez Louise, I was ready for spring!

We're a stop on the Tour

2007-03-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Last night we we visited by Wyatt's friend from DC, Donald Dover and cross-country traveling companion Matt Parks. They stopped to pay their respects after what sounded like a wonderful trip to the west coast and back again. They nicknamed the trip "The Pancake Tour" and I'm not quite sure how that came about but they had been making pancakes at every stop. This stop Jeannie made the pancakes, and they were delicious whole wheat apple nut pancakes. We really enjoyed the visit, wished they could've stayed longer but Don has an appointment he can't miss on Sunday. It was a great time. Shout out to all Wyatt's old friends who still read this blog- if you are ever close to SD, there will always be a warm bed, a cold beer and good conversation waiting for you in Dell Rapids. Please stop!

Boring Bloggers

2007-03-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

I know we have been negligent in posting. I seem to get writer's block every time I start to post. We are snowed into the house for the first time in years. Nothing is moving in our neighborhood. So we have taken the opportunity to be sluglike. We seriously haven't done a thing today but sleep, eat, read, sleep, eat. And now I'm feeling the urge to bake some cookies. WOW! No wonder we're big!

Anyway, I was thinking about all the hype about the Bird Flu and how if it really did hit we would be stuck in our homes. At first when you think about it, it doesn't sound so bad.But can you imagine not being able to leave at all, and then what about the people who work at the utility companies keeping our water, electricity, gas and everything going. Would they go to work or stay home? I suppose hospital personnel would live there or at a place all together. They wouldn't be able to go home to their families. And none of this takes into account all the sick and dying people. It would be mayhem for sure. But I guess we never hear about that anymore. Now the media is fixated on Anna Nicole, for the love!

Ok, if I don't get any responses I'm not going to feel the need to post again. So the ball is in your court now.

We´re in Mexico

2007-02-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

Wonderful Vacation!!!
It is absolutely perfect here. It is hard to believe there are really places like this. Perfect day after day! We are having a great time. We have been to Old Market,Las Calestas for a dinner and show by torch and canlelight, whale watching, a mexican show, loads of sun on the beach, sun, sun, sun. I think I will be coming back every winter. Really there isn´t any place better. Can you believe there is a WalMart and Sam´s club near our resort? The prices on things are about what we pay in the US. But the market is so much fun. We sleep so well listening to the turf which is right by our window. It sounds like a really bad South Dakota storm. Luckily we like thunderstorms. The first night Greg had trouble sleeping because he kept waking up thinking he needed to shut windows because of the storm. Greg´s cold is much better thanks to the medicine he got before we left. We are headed back to the Old Market now. I´m at a cyber cafe, internet is $1 an hour, not bad! Happy Valentine´s Day! I love you all!!!!

It's still winter

2007-02-02T11:32:00.000-08:00

The high temperature tomorrow is supposed to be -4F. That is correct, the high is still below zero. So far, no frozen water or sewer pipes on any of the rental houses. The furnace seems to run constantly, which is no big surprise I guess. Last months gas bill was $220 and it was relatively balmy compared to this month. I used to say this kind of weather kept the riff-raff out of this part of the country, but we seem to have our share of that too.
Anyway, enough complaining. In 8 days we will be in Mexico. I can't wait.

We're outta here

2007-01-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

Come this June, my wife and I will celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss. She also will be celebrating a milestone birthday. In lieu of diamonds, we're heading to Puerto Vallarta in Feb. Who wouldn't rather have a trip than jewelry? This is the first time we've ever gone someplace warm in the winter all by ourselves. (We did take a cruise once but that doesn't count cause the kids were along.) I have no idea what to expect but the anticipation makes it that much better. I've heard that the ocean swimming isn't that great but maybe that is misinformation too. We'll find out. I do know that they have a very large downtown market where everything and anything under the sun is for sale, so that will be very fun for Jeannie. Also there are huge old cathedrals, jungle jeep tours and I'm sure much more I don't know about. It should be awesome. This time, I'm not going to the tanning booth like I did before the cruise. 8 years I have endured being called a "french fry" by my children. Mayhaps they'll like me better as a lobster.

More on Time

2007-01-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

I bought a book at Good Will awhile back. It is titled Time and Space. I am thoroughly enjoying it. It is definitely bringing the great theories of all time down to layman terms. Which is exactly what I need. Anyhow, I think I am studying time because I believe time is death itself. Each minute falls away and can never be restored or revisited except in our thoughts. There is a quote that seemed to hit home. Here it is:

This idea is based on the physicists' second law of thermodynamics, which states that in any isolated system, entropy-or disorder-increases with time. A classic example of an isolated system with a high degree of order is an ordinary drinking glass. If the glass falls and shatters, disorder increases. The reverse will never occur: The shards of glass will never leap into the air and reassemble themselves. Events move steadily and irreversibly forward into the future, never turning back into the past. Therefore, explain scientists, time must act correspondingly, moving inexorably into the future. Although, as Einstein explained in the special theory of relativity, time moves slower or faster depending on the observer, it still moves in only one direction, and that is foward.

I think one of the hardest things to accept about Wyatt's death is that it cannot be undone. I know that probably sounds strange to others, but for months now my mind goes back to the fall. My minds works and reworks the accident. For a long time I needed details, details. After I felt I had gotten all the details there were my mind now rehashes them. Not all the time, but still it is like I am seeking a different result. It is as if my mind just cannot accept that this string of events can't somehow be changed just a small bit and Wyatt will come back. But also I remember feeling like I was standing in the middle of shattered glass, desparate to put it back together. Seeing millions of tiny shards and thinking there had to be a way to bring it back together. Then accepting that it was impossible just like the quote above expresses. In accepting the truth, life has taken on an entirely new meaning. I am still trying to put it into words, this new reality. Everything and Nothing are important at the same time. I know Wyatt would love to enter into this exploration with me. Hey, who knows, maybe he is, in a different dimension.

PS. I know I'm weird!

cameras, ect.

2007-01-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

So, Christmas is over, the decorations are packed away. Time for some reflection. But not what you think. Around this house, we like to look at pictures. Not all the time, but when we like to look at them, we like to look at them, you know what I mean? Now I came to this all on my own, no conversation with anybody, but here's how I see it. And I know I'm old so lets get that outta the way now.
Digital cameras suck. Whatever anybody says, I don't care. I've got no pictures to look at. My old, cheap, but took really good pictures, 35 mm camera finally croaked. Naturally, right before the holidays. So we've got this digital camera, so we're all good, right? Well, whenever we wanted to use it, the battery was dead. No problem, other people have cameras, hey they're all digital too. Just out of curiousity, how may of you faithful readers have ever printed out the pictures on your digital camera? Maybe they get saved to disk, so what? Who ever looks at that? I like a photo album. I like a shoebox of old pictures, the ones that say Kodak or Polaroid on them. The ones you can write the month and year you took them on the back and cry when you look at them. Those are the pictures I like and since I am still in charge of a few things around here, I'm buying a new SLR 35 mm camera tomorrow. So there.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I blogged. December was busy, with work and the holidays. Christmas was good, the girls were all home and it was nice. Our "thrift store" gift exchange was really quite fun too. For those who don't know, this year, in homage to Wyatt who dearly loved thrifting, we decided that all the presents exchanged in our immediate family had to be purchased at a rummage sale, thrift store, auction or second hand store. It does require some forethought, planning and perseverance(no running out at 3 pm on Christmas eve, although I was almost that bad). Everyone got some amazing gifts, considering out $10 limit. Gotta go for now, bye.

Little Man

2006-12-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

This is Wyatt at Sunday School right before the program. He doesn't look to be full of Christmas cheer. I think he was much happier when he was holding his new little puppy buster, and building a snowman. I hope I let my kids be kids when they were little.

Wyatt, Buster and Frosty

2006-12-21T15:23:00.000-08:00

Isn't this about the cutest little boy you've ever seen? I remember this day.

A Winter's Day

2006-12-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Such

A long long time ago we can still remember how we used to watch the children laugh and play. And if we had the chance..........

More Quotes

2006-12-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Even though it is Christmas and the whole world is in celebration, my thoughts are still on death. But maybe I'm not so far off track because I really believe that death is an escape from life into eternity. And eternal life is really what Christmas is all about. A miraculous birth of God's own son. Why did God need to save all humanity in this way? Couldn't he just have changed the way of things without sending himself to suffer and die to change the fate of all human souls? I believe that He has to work in the order of his own creation to restore it, staying within the laws he set forth.I don't pretend to understand the unknowable but it makes sense to me that suffering must be important in some way. I don't know how else to explain an all powerful God allowing the pain and suffering throughout the ages. It frustrates me when people ignore this fundamental problem.

So many people try to wrap God up in a pretty little package with an instruction manual included. I think it is an attempt to gain a sense of safety and order; to make life palatable. The pop Christian culture filled with books, music, concerts, etc. seems like packaging to me. Beneath it all is a God that we can't really understand. A God who came to us as a baby, that grew into a man that was rejected and murdered to save us. A God who supposedly can intervene but often allows great suffering such as the holocaust and the genocide happening now in Darfur. I'm not going to solve the problem of pain, no one can. But I also can't gloss over it and pretend there isn't a problem, or begin to think I know God and can decide for all people that I am right.

I believe there is something more beyond this life and I believe it is very good. And right now that is enough for me. Here are the quotes I found:

Death is the golden key that opens the palace of eternity. -Milton

Death is like thunder in two particulars: we are alarmed at the sound of it, and it is formidable only from that which has preceded it. -Colton

Nature is the glass reflecting God, as by the sea reflected is the sun, too glorious to be gazed on in his sphere. -Young

THE SOUL SURVIVES! the arguments from reason by which the immortality of the soul is maintained are well known. But there is another argument, the scope of which has been so immensely enlarged in modern times that the disregard of it by the ancients does not count against its inherent validity. this is the general consent of the race. The future existence of the soul has been held as a matter of popular belief by the people of every age and country. It is found among the Chinese, the Egyptians, the Hindus, the Persians, the Greeks and Romans, the Druids, the Celts, the Germans, the Slavs, and a great variety of uncivilized tribes in North America and South, in the centre of Africa, and in the islands of the sea. there are exceptions, but these are just enough to confirm the rule. The great body of the human family in every age have held, as they hold now, that the soul survives the body; and there is no way of accounting for this unanimity but by admitting the truth of the doctrine. Either it was derived by tradition from our original ancestors, who obtained it from their Creator, or it's evidences lie so deeply impressed upon the constitiuion of man that they compel assent. A judgement held so long, so widely, and by such different races, must be deemed to be correct. -G. F. Wright

Ok, that's probably enough for this post!

Time

2006-12-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Two ways of thinking, the of time and the way of eternity and timelessness are both part of man's effort to comprehend the world in which he lives. Neither is comprehended in the other, nor reducible to it, each supplementing the other, neither telling the whole story. - Robert Oppenheimer

A World of Time
"In the beginning..." The opening line of the most famous book in all history, heard so many times, in so many languages, by so many people has become passe. The full meaniing and significance of the phrase is seldom discerned. It is obvious that with the first words of Genisis we have been taken from the realms of the infinite and placed in a world of the finite. A world of the beginnings and endings. A world of Time. -Lynn Grant Robbins

From the moment we are born
we agree to be taken at our end
Lifted upon murmurs of the others
that we choose to leave behind
~their hoarse and parched whispers spoken softly into the safety of the night~
conversations never had
confessions uttered in the regretful honesty of lost time

We make our fall from the earth
our heavy bones starving to settle
within its cold and damp salvation
And in our last breath we leave our heaviness behind
And we are welcomed
Lifted upon wings of time high, high, high
Into the thinning elevation of the sky

From there we blink down at the world in startled dismay
Surprised by our successful survival
within the turbulent current of time
And soothed by our own vacancy
we remember back to our first breath where we choked and gulped
Taking the air into our burning and unfolding bodies
knowing precisely that this is where we first began our descent

-LAURA HUME

Please share any thoughts or quotes you have. I have been studying this theme for years. I have more I will share later. I think what I am seeking is an explanation of a God who is powerful but somehow limited by his creation of time. What do you think. Please share.

Jeannie

THE BROKEN CHAIN

2006-12-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

"WE LITTLE KNEW THAT MORNING THAT GOD WAS GOING TO CALL YOUR NAME.

IN LIFE WE LOVED YOU DEARLY, IN DEATH WE DO THE SAME. IT BROKE OUR HEARTS TO LOSE YOU,

YOU DID NOT GO ALONE; FOR PART OF US WENT WITH YOU, THE DAY GOD CALLED YOU HOME.

YOU LEFT US PEACEFUL MEMORIES, YOUR LOVE IS STILL OUR GUIDE; AND THOUGH WE CANNOT SEE YOU, YOU ARE ALWAYS AT OUR SIDE. OUR FAMILY CHAIN IS BROKEN, AND NOTHING SEEMS THE SAME; BUT AS GOD CALLS US ONE BY ONE, THE CHAIN WILL LINK AGAIN."

Life

2006-12-05T10:52:00.000-08:00

"Death is simply the shedding of the physical body, like the butterfly shedding it's cocoon. It is a transition to a higher state of consciousness where you continue to perceive, to understand, to laugh, and to be able to grow." -Elizabeth Kubler-Ross MD
I believe this is true. I believe Wyatt is exploring and enjoying a new life. I think God gives us nature to see His promise of eternal life. The caterpillar changing to a butterfly, leaves falling from the tree then budding again in the spring, these things demonstrate life continuing. I miss Wyatt so much, but I firmly believe only this physical life of time keeps us apart. We'll be together again.

2006-12-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas!

The dinner party

2006-12-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I got a wild hair and decided to host a small dinner party. And I do mean small, just one couple, in case this thing tanked on me. We invited our good friends, Greg and Karen Park, over on Sat. night. I shopped just a little for food, since this being my first time and all, I wasn't going overboard. I decided on chicken cordon bleu for the entree, just pulled it out of the hat since it sounded good. I googled "menu plan" and came up with the rest of the menu. So, we had chicken cordon bleu with wild rice and fresh green beans tossed in lemon butter. I must say at the risk of a swelled head, it was delicious. And not even slightly hard! I totally did not stress over anything. Jeannie prepared dessert, triple fudge brownie sundaes with a caramel sauce. Delish! Afterwards we played games and visited. It was a totally delightful evening and I plan on doing it again soon!

Tree's up

2006-11-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, a person can't buy a Christmas tree in Dell Rapids anymore. So.....bought one at Menards last night and put it in the stand last night. This morning Jeannie and I decorated it and it looks really nice. Of course, there's always the burned out lights that worked when they were put away last but now they don't? Or half the string works but the other half doesn't. Frustration personified. But it's up and looks great. We also put up some outdoor lights yesterday too. Not a ton, just enough to look festive. Naturally, some of the net lights didn't work today but that's OK, they'll just have to stay that way for awhile. The high today is 17F with a nice stiff northwest breeze. Not a good day to be fumbling around with outdoor lighting. The short days and long nights of the frozen Northern tundra have begun. Yay.

2006-11-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

I am going to post pictures from past Christmases. It makes me feel happy to think of all the wonderful times we've had as a family. We were so happy. I remember this Christmas because of the matching outfits I bought the kids. Allison's had to be altered to fit. I was happy to find a sweater for Wyatt that almost matched perfectly. I can't remember why Kyla's face was painted, but isn't it cute! And Ginger just loved that cat, Squeege. I also took the kids to JCPenney for pictures. Kyla's dress in the pictures is wet because she had spilled something on her right before pictures. Greg took this picture of us.

One Year

2006-11-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our friends we survived the one year anniversary. I will be forever grateful to all of you who reached out to us. It truly lifted the heavy cloak of grief last week. The cards, emails, flowers, gifts, and visits came totally unexpected. We felt embraced. Wyatt felt a part of it all. Thank You! Kyla was able to come home for the weekend. It was so good to be together. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. Greg got helium balloons. I wrote up a short message about Wyatt with our address asking them to write if they found the note and tied them to the balloons. Greg, Kyla, LeeAnn, Joslyn, Jasmine, Hunter, Jackson Wyatt, and I took the balloons to the Mother's Healing Garden. Greg said a few words and we sent them off. It was so beautiful! The laminated notes were like mirrors reflecting the sunlight. They rose into the blue sky flashing light as they went. We watched them as they disappeared. It was such a perfect metaphor of Wyatt's spirit. He is so free and still flashing his light in our lives. And even though we can't see him again while we are here, he is with us all the same. Even when our eyes could no longer see those balloons they were still flying to some far away destination. It was a wonderful way to celebrate Wyatt's life.
Jeremy spent a lot of time with us this weekend too. It was so good to share Wyatt, his journals, his pictures, his childhood things. So much of Wyatt's childhood was shared with Jeremy. Kyla and Jeremy stayed up late in the basement talking and reminiscing the past. It was good. Thank you Jeremy!
Today I went to the cemetary to see the garden and stopped by Wyatt's gravesite. Someone had left a grab bag of candy and trinkets. It was so great! Wyatt is so alive in all of our memories. Thank you for remembering him and please, please, please never stop talking about him. We always love to hear his name. We love all of you. -Jeannie

Nov.8th, 2006, election day aftermath

2006-11-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

I lost. There it is, not sugar-coated or spun to make it sound like even though I was a few votes short, it was still a victory. I lost by 684 votes.

I won't say I'm not disappointed, because I am. Nobody likes to be a loser. But as Ginger said last night, our family knows what's REALLY important now, and this wasn't the time for me. There were several key issues on the ballot that polarized the Democrats and they did a great job of getting out the vote. Lots of big name Republican incumbants went down yesterday. About half-way through the campaign I came to the realization that with the war in Iraq, abortion, medical marijuana and civil unions on the ballot in SD, this probably wasn't the greatest year to be a Republican challenger.

But, no excuses. It was probably one of the most interesting challenges I've undertaken. I learned a lot, about the GOP, politics and myself. I raised and spent a lot of money. I put a lot of miles on my truck. Time to get on with my life.

Campaign continues.......

2006-10-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

22 days left until election day. My real estate business is slowing up somewhat, leaving more time to campaign. I honestly have no idea of where I stand in the polls. The was a phone survey done a couple weeks ago but the results were deemed "inconclusive" because there were too many undecided voters at that time. Maybe it's better this way, I don't know. All I know is, I'm going to give it all I've got until Nov. 7th, cause I'd hate to think I lost just cause I got out-worked. Last Saturday afternoon Jeannie and I worked in Salem. It was a nice day and I really enjoy going door to door meeting people. But it's rather exhausting, after 4 hours I was pooped. Some people want to know your stance on the issues, others just grab the handout and slam the door and some won't even open the door because they don't recognize you. So that's a little awkward, me yelling through the door while they stand on the other side and stare, but for the most part everyone is gracious and receptive.

Dynamite vs. Ambassadors

2006-10-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

So, the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce came up with a great idea- inviting the Harlem Ambassadors to town for an exhibition game. The Ambassadors being a traveling team, not unlike the Globetrotters, traveling the country and promoting an anti-drug, good sportsmanship message. All good stuff, except who are they going to play once they get here? Enter the Dell Rapids Dynamite, locals who at one time all shined on the court. All except for me. I have no idea why I ever said yes, although I remember a conversation about "political candidate" and "good public exposure." When I got to the gym at 6 pm tonight, the Ambassadors were already warming up. My blood turned to ice water in my veins. They were all gigantically tall, fast and young. They even had a female player who was only 5' 4" but had played pro ball too. Now I thought right up to tip-off that this would be basically a game of keep-away with clowning around. WRONG. These guys are playing for keeps. There were a lot of young guns and not so young guns from DR being given a clinic for free out there. That's when I had a mature moment and decided that my place was on the bench, slapping hands, passing out towels and keeping up morale. Hey, don't be too hard on me, I was the oldest guy on the team, and I couldn't play basketball when I was 20. With age comes wisdom. And I got a really cool t-shirt that says "Dell Rapids Dynamite" on it. All in all, a good night and I live to play another day.

Looking Back

2006-09-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Our local newspaper has a weekly section called "Looking Back", where they take excerpts from the past 10 yrs, 25 yrs and 50 yrs ago and print them. Here's the headline in this weeks "Looking Back" section-
"Redwood hand-hewn shakes make waves 50 years ago."
Thursday, Sept. 27, 1956
"One of the finest homes ever to be built in Dell Rapids is under construction for Dr. and Mrs. R.M. Merkly at 312 9th St. The buildings dimensions are 85 by 34 feet with basement under the entire structure with the exception of the sunroom on the west. There are four bedrooms, living room, dining room, 2 bathrooms, entry and oodles of closets. All the rooms are large and conveniently arranged. There is a two-stall garage in the basement with the remainder of the room to be used as a recreation room. The striking feature of this building is the siding, which is of redwood hand-hewn shakes, painted grey, laid in hit and miss fashion. For those who like something different, this seems to be it."
Isn't that funny? I'm proud yet kind of embarrassed at the same time. I guess nowadays when somebody builds a house, they don't write about it in the newspaper. It's obviously not new, and it seems like I'm continueously tinkering with something, but I still like it. And the "oodles of closets."

10 months have passed.

2006-09-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wyatt has been gone from this life for 10 months. So many thoughts go through my mind. I was reading an email Wyatt sent Greg and I on October 30th 2005, 17 days before he died. It is such a beautiful email from a son with such zest for living. I want to share it with all of you. Here it is in it's entirity:

Mom and Dad,

I've been in the bush for a couple of weeks now, and though I should
have gotten internet access at some point during that period, the
phone lines were down so there was no connection. I'm sorry for not
writing the last time I got on the internet (the fifteenth, I think).
I wrote you a nice letter, though, hopefully you've gotten it by now
and it's quelled your fear that I won't write.

I have so so so so so much to say. I covered most of the bases in the
REAL letter (a medium which I for one strongly prefer to email), so I
won't repeat myself but I will tell you about my last couple of weeks.

Like I said, I was in the bush. It was our "second site visit,"
meaning that I got to visit the area I'll be working in and actually
finally see the village I will be living in for the next two years.
I've had so many thoughts buzzing through my mind recently it's really
difficult for me to even decide what aspects to focus on...

I guess I'll focus on telling you a little bit about my site. The
name of the main village is Kanyama. The sub-village where I'll be
living is a farming habitation of a 3 generation family of 41. Seven
brothers, their wives and children, and their parents. And me. You
can about imagine. I saw my hut, and I think it will serve me nicely.
I'm sure you sell houses that have more square footage in their
bathrooms alone, but I'm not exactly in the land of plenty here so I
can't complain. The thatch roof kind of sucks when it rains and is
dripping in ten spots, but I suppose you can get used to anything if
you're forced to. My new "dad" is Albert. He's a 35 year old guy,
and a semi-ambitious farmer. When I say farmer you're thinking of
tractors and fences and rolling fields....not the case. Sometimes the
farmers have nothing more than a single hoe. One hoe. That's it.
Their fields are small and rather unproductive, as are their fish
ponds. They just don't have the initial capital or access to
resources necessary to grow any more food than they need to eat (and
sometimes not even enough to do that). It's weird to be in a culture
where there is a word in the language meaning "a time when there is no
meat."

The country itself is beautiful. It's all rolling hills and crystal
clear creeks and rivers. Those high canopy trees which are so typical
of Africa are everywhere. I have an avocado tree in my front yard,
and we have a mango, orange, papaya, banana, and other trees in the
village as well. The sky seems huge here, and everywhere the world
seems to be looming around you. I think it's just the untamed nature
of it. I'm so used to everything being paved, groomed, controlled.
There is no such thing as wilderness in the United States, or very
little of it anyway. It's amazing being in it, working in it, being a
part of it. Picture this: me standing with a farmer beside a pond
trying to speak Lunda with him as we discuss the options he has for
integrating some other crops using irrigation drawn from a nearby
furrow. I'm sweating in the hot sun after having ridden 10 miles down
a ruddy footpath through the forest. I am looking down into a valley
that is absolutely untouched. I have two months of beard growth and
am probably not smelling too great despite the fact that I shower more
often here than I ever did back home. I am constantly covered with a
film of dirt from the roads, unless it's raining, in which case it's
mud.

My village is 70 km from Mwinilunga, which is the nearest
approximation of "civilization." By civilization I mean they have
electricity and plumbing and not much more that you would recognize.
The cities here are so strange, so completely unlike anything in our
country. Most of the buildings are crumbling, all have tin roofs.
Only here a tin roof is a sign of affluence (no drips!). People walk
and ride bikes down the center of the highway, which is literally the
only paved road for hundreds of miles in any direction. No traffic.
Every time a vehicle drives by, and especially when it's filled with
"ayindeli" (white people), everyone rubbernecks and stares after
you've passed. In fact, when you're riding your bike through the
village kids will be yelling "CHINDELI! CHINDELI! HOW ARE YOU?! HOW
ARE YOU?!" It gets annoying. When I yell back, "I'm fine, thanks,
how are you?" they just stare at me in a mixture of shock and
fascination, and have no idea what I just said. They only know those
three words in English.

I still don't feel I've given you a good feel for what it's like to be
here. It's strange. It's definitely challenging. I ate bugs -
flying ants. They were actually pretty good and tasted kind of like
sour cream and onion potato chips (and I'm not just saying that).
I've slept on bare concrete with nothing but a sheet to cover me and a
balled up t-shirt under my head. I've been wet for days on end. I
sweat constantly. I've learned more Lunda in two months than the
Spanish I learned in two years of high school. I also know fish
farming. I know integrated farming. I know conservation methods. I
am amazed at how many hoops I've had to jump through, at how many ways
I'm going to have to be flexible in what I ask for in comfort, in
understanding, and in stimulation. It's going to be rough going, but
I think it's going to teach me a lot about myself and about my place
in the world. Nothing is better for revelations of selfhood than
taking yourself completely out of context. Suddenly you don't have
your friends to tell you who you are, you don't have your family, you
don't have your hobbies and your belongings reminding you of who you
are. Suddenly you just are. It's weird.

I guess I'm going to have obscene amounts of free time. I have a
hammock, I am going to build a porch onto my house, and I have a
garden. I plan to read. A lot. I'm going to read classic
literature, modern literature, some nonfiction (history, biographies)
and whatever else I stumble across. I've already read six (seven
maybe) books since I've been here. It's great. It really has quieted
my mind.

My friends are all harassing me to get this email wrapped up so we can
catch a bus back to Mwekera to get back to training. After my two
weeks of freedom and finally being able to see my site I'm not really
looking forward to the overscheduling of training, but it will be over
in two weeks and I'll have my swearing in as a volunteer. Do a toast
for me on the 18th!

About mailing stuff - sorry about not letting you know whether or not
I had gotten things. Yes, I did. And I really appreciated it. I
hope to have a really good mail correspondence with you guys so that I
don't have to be a slave to the internet any longer. It's a shame
that the mail here is so unreliable, but most things make it
here.....eventually. I got your card, which was really nice, and the
couple of letters that had my loan forms and bills and the like.
Speaking of that I will write another email telling you about my plans
for dealing with that. Nothing is remiss, and no permanent damage has
been done. Late payments aren't good, obviously, and frankly I'm
ashamed of myself for forgetting the forms at home because it has
proven to be a HUGE hassle to get things taken care of here (contrary
to what they told me). Oh well, I'll save this for the next email.

I found out my new address, that is where I'll be getting my mail for
the next two years:

Wyatt Ammon
PO Box 160073
Mwinilunga, ZAMBIA

Easy enough, right? If you send a package there it should be getting
in right as I'm getting posted to my site. Exciting! Once again I'm
sorry for not having written you an email last time I was on the
internet, I didn't realize it was going to be this long before I was
going to be able to get back on and I wanted to ask some questions of
the Peace Corps officials about the loans and stuff (and to get the
forms in the mail, which I have) and formulate a plan so that I could
quell your apprehension. That backfired, but I have now gotten the
info I need and have a workable plan that puts very little
responsibility, financial or otherwise, on your shoulders. Thanks for
being willing to help me and putting up with me.

Let me know if you got my letter, I'll have another one off in the mail shortly.

Much love,

Your only son

Just the other day I ran across a stamp collecting book that Grandpa Ammon gave Wyatt. I thought I will save this for Wyatt when he is older and settled down. But immediately over top of this thought almost simultaneously the reality that Wyatt's future will never be. He is no more. He doesn't see the season changing, he doesn't feel the sharp crispness of the morning air. He won't be back to get his childhood things: legos, micro machines, baseball cards, stamp collection, his scrapbook, all his little treasures stored away. My beautiful, curious, boylike son is gone. How can I endure? But of course as time passes everyone else lives into their future with their children around them, they don't see the emptiness I hide. I don't want to be a miserable person no one wants to be around. I am trapped with no way out. There is no way to comprehend this world where all we can be totally sure of is death, yet we all live like there will be no end to us. Now I see clearly it really is only a question of "Who's next?".

Friday again

2006-09-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

I wish I led as interesting a life as some of my fellow bloggers, I really have nothing newsworthy to talk about. The sky is gray and gloomy today, but the last 3 days have been absolutely marvelous, the reason we live here. Crystal clear blue sky, low humidity, no wind and temps in the high 70's. If we didn't have the unpleasant weather I guess we wouldn't appreciate the good days. Good analogy for most of life, I guess.

The campaign is kicking into gear in earnest now. Yard signs, big signs and handouts are being printed. As soon as the handouts are finished, we'll start door to door. I've been instructed not to put up yard signs too early, folks get crabby when they have to look at that stuff for more than month. I'm not taking anything for granted.

Gotta go for now, have a great weekend!

Damp Deadwood nights

2006-08-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

So, the weekend didn't turn out the way we'd hoped for, not even close. Friday dawned cloudy and chilly, but it's supposed to clear off. We take off Friday afternoon and it's still not clear, but fairly warm. We stop at Murdo in some light rain for a bite and the weather forcast. Radar shows light ground clutter but clearing further west. We proceed (dark now) to Kadoka. No place to camp, still rain. We press on to Wall (world famous Wall Drug) where we finally say, enough is enough, and sleep on the ground because the rain has stopped. Sat. morning, more clouds and chilly, damp air. We head west and make it to Rapid City and the Flying J Truckstop where it's pretty much pouring. We wait that out under the canopy, then head west again. This time we make it to Sturgis, which looks strange because all the rally vendors are gone, revealing the dumpy little cow town it really is. We leave Sturgis via Vanoeker Canyon and are instantly in beautiful winding roads. I'd never been down this road before because until this year it was gravel. The road ends at Nemo, another little Hills town, where it's raining again. This time we take refuge at a dude ranch/bed'n breakfast, where we have lunch and wait for it to stop. Finally, it does and we're off for Deadwood. When we get there, we find that rooms are a figment of the imagination, because of Kool Deadwood Nights and also, the Central States Fair happening in Rapid City. We take the last 2 tentsites at Whistler Gulch resort, and are happy to get them. After set-up and a shower, we're off for downtown, which is absolutely packed. There wasn't even a place to park a motorcycle. But we persevered and found a spot of grass. After a really poor outdoor concert by Bobby Vee and the Grass Roots, I was ready to give up. We found that the world famous Saloon #10 had live music, so we went in. I must say, that band was the high-light of my trip. They are called Rude Awakening, and they are the best cover band I've heaard in a long time. Back at camp later that night, I held court with our next door camping neighbors from Minot, ND. Great guys, with better Canadian accents than I've heard on some guys from Canada. Sunday morning = more rain, and harder now. We ride to Lead for breakfast and coffee, getting completely soaked in the process. After the worst omelette I've ever eaten, we dejectedly go back to camp, still in the downpour. For lack of anything more worthwhile, we try to nap. By this time, my tent isn't waterproof anymore and water is dripping from the ceiling onto me and the sleeping bag. I'm using dirty laundry to try and keep the floor dry. Everyone is really disgusted now, so we pack up wet and go to town to get a room. But wait, even though it's now Sunday afternoon, it's still officially Kool Deadwood Nights weekend, so one person, single bed is $89.95. At that point, I would've headed for home, but it was just too cold and wet. By happenstance, Lee strikes up a conversation with a c-store clerk, whose mother had passed away a year ago and her house was still furnished but vacant. A deal was struck, $100 changed hands and we have ourselves a furnished house on Main St. Deadwood. Finally, a hot shower and a dry bed, food in the fridge and a washer/dryer. I wash all my wet clothes and sleep like a log. Monday morning it is bright and sunny, of course it is, this is the day we have to go home! Refusing to give up, we decide to ride south through the Hills, exploring as we go. When we finally wind up in Hermosa, I'm shocked to learn it's 4 pm cental time, and we've got 400 miles yet to ride. Still refusing to admit defeat, we decide to ride home on SD Hiway 44, which traverses the southern part of the state, from west to east. I'd never been on that road before and it was beautiful. You can really see a lot more of the Badlands than you do from the interstate. I really enjoyed it, but you can't make very good time. Mostly 65 mph, with some 55 mph, almost all of it through the reservation. Which is neither here nor there, until you've been pan-handled at the gas station for $ for "food". Really sad, it just seems to be an endless cycle of alcoholism, which I'm sure has been studied endlessly by smarter people than myself, with no answers. Home at midnight, cold, wet, exhausted, hungry. Better luck next time.

It's Thursday already

2006-08-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

Man, where do the weeks go? Busy, busy, life goes by like a freight train. I've been busy with work and also sending out campaign letters. It's starting to get to the point where every day will count now, cause Nov. will be here before we know it.
But first- another short vacation! My boys and I are leaving tomorrow for a short motorcycle trip, the annual guy trip. Every year it seems like it gets shorter, this will just be a long weekend, we're going back to the Black Hills. Kool Deadwood Nights is this weekend, which is not the reason for the trip, but should be a nice added bonus. I've never been to this event but I've heard it's fun, it's mostly old cars, street rods and motorcycles, they block off the streets and everybody just hangs out and gawks. I'm sure there must be a car show, dance, ect thrown in there too at some point. But that 'll be just a potential side trip, as the real reason we're going is to ride the Hills. The plan is to get out there, set up a base camp in the central Hills and just do day rides from camp. Much easier than setting up and tearing down camp every day. With most schools started already and the glut of Sturgis traffic gone, it should be wonderful riding and exploring. I can't wait for tomorrow.

the labyrinth is laid!

2006-08-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Beards gone

2006-08-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

My weeks worth of whiskers is gone, dang it anyway. Last night there was a mixer here in town to raise funds for the Rounds/Daugaard campaign. It was very nicely done, lots of people to meet and socialize with, and always an added bonus, the food was superb. The food was catered by Joanne Beck from Deli of the Dells. She is an unknown treasure. People were standing in line to eat the stuffed mushrooms, greedily wolfing them down as they came steaming out of the oven. But, I digress. Back to the beard- it was pointed out that I probably shouldn't go to this event looking like a scruffy old biker,which I had to admit was true. So, it's back to my clean-shaven self, probably until next year. Someday I shall grow a beard like I had when the twins were born, and get a job as Santa Claus in the mall. Anybody that can grow a magnificent white beard should be properly compensated.

2006-08-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

This is a new picture of Greg after his Sturgis trip. What do you think?

Our triumphant return

2006-08-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here we are, back home again on Sunday night. I am looking a bit road weary. Recognize Kyla's coat?

And........we're back

2006-08-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

It was everything I'd hoped it would be. The trailer pulled great. The bike ran great. Kyla & I got along perfectly. I am "wicked cool". More later. I'll try to post a picture.

Sturgis

2006-08-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Approx. 15 hours to blast-off. Trailer is finished and waiting to be loaded. Kyla should be off work in a couple hours and on her way home. Wish us luck for a good trip. Report next week. Toots!

Rain!

2006-08-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

We finally got some much-needed rain last week. I believe we got close to 5 inches total in two different little storms. And it took away the terrible heat and humidity. It has just been perfect weather here for the last couple days. I still haven't mowed my lawn since July 4th and it really doesn't need it yet but it's starting to look a little scraggly around the edges. I'll do it before I leave. For Sturgis. In 72 hours we should be there. Last night I had to take a Tylenol PM to fall asleep, cause I was so worked up about going. Uncle Brian got my new trailer done so Jeannie and I went to Mitchell yesterday afternoon, after my open house, to pick it up. It's a beauty, and is big enough to hold all our camping gear and luggage. It still needs to be wired and painted but I should be able to get that done easily before Wed. night. I plan to leave early Thursday morning. I've been scoping out entertainment options for us and when I told Kyla Alice in Chains was playing at the Buffalo Chip, she immediately wanted to go, so there's one night's worth. I don't know anything about Alice in Chains, but I reckon I'll learn before the night's over.

Finally Friday

2006-07-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

I feel better, thanks, but not because it's cooled off. There will be record highs broken all over the state this weekend the way it sounds. Mom, Allie and I (and Sugar) are going to Mnpls. this weekend to take Kyla a new (to her) mattress and boxspring. Actually, it's our old mattress and boxspring but it's better than the one she's got, so it's getting re-gifted. Allie will get Kyla's and when she's done with it, it'll finally go to the dump. We like to get our moneys worth out of our bedding products.
I am the secretary at the office this morning. Christy has taken a long weekend to go camping with her family, and good for her. I hope the a/c works in their camper! My broker, Lee and his wife left last night on a weekend motorcycle trip. Friday's are always busy here at the office but I feel up to manning the fort alone today. Busy=time flys by fast.
Uncle Brian from Mitchell is building me a small trailer to pull behind my motorcycle for the Sturgis trip. The more I thought about it, the more I wasn't comfortable with trying to strap 2 tents, 2 sleeping bags, 2 bedmats, 2 softsider bags and more probably, onto my motorcycle. We'd look like we belonged in the circus. Trailer is the way to go, I hope. I've never pulled one with a bike before, but lots of people do. It will also have room for a small cooler and lawn chairs too. We'll be all set! 12 days to blast-off!
Have a great weekend!

Not much, but thanks for asking.......

2006-07-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

I hate to let my blog sit idle, but I also hate it that I don't have anything exciting or frankly, even interesting to blog about. Life just seems to trudge uneasily along, we walk around the house and each other, vaguely uneasy, never fully relaxed or at ease, carefully choosing our words. I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. I feel like I should be somewhere else, doing something, but I don't know what it is. I feel like I should work all the time, because then I don't have to think about what my life has or is becoming. And I can't even define what I am becoming. I feel like I'm being pulled along by lifes changes while I stand by helplessly on the sidelines, watching everything unfold. My jaws hurt from unconciously clenching my teeth. I exhort to everyone to move on with their lives, and I'm seemingly unable to myself. It's hard to remain optomistic. My mom is not well. My kids aren't happy. My wife is not happy. I feel powerless to change any of it. I feel like Jack Nicholsen in "About Schmidt". Not many of you faithful readers have seen this movie, I'll wager. It wasn't a big hit. But it tells the story of a man that, even at the end of his life, is struggling to find purpose and meaning in his very existence. The movie won't make you feel good. But just the fact that other people have the same questions is a comfort in it's own way, I guess. Rent it sometime and tell me what you think about it. I don't follow such things, but Nicholsen should've won as Oscar for this role.

Beach Bum

2006-07-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

I told you all a while back I was going on the South Beach diet and if it didn't work, you'd never hear another word about it. Well, like anything else in life, the end result is directly equal to the amount of effort that's applied. Since I started strong but faded on the back-stretch, I am stuck at 196 lbs. Much better than where I started but not where we need to be. I'm not discouraged or disgusted, I'm just in a holding pattern. I just have to be super vigilant about not gaining it back. One of these days I will find my motivation and go after those last 10 lbs. Until then, I will continue to walk past the Wells Blue Bunny Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, 2 half-gallons on sale for $5. I can't have any ice cream and cookies, can I johnandleeann????????

The political campaign is picking up steam slowly. Last Sat. we were in 2 parades, the first in Colton , the second in Canistota. They couldn't have been more different. Colton's parade route was 3 blks long, packed with people, and done real quick. Canistota on the other hand, wants to get their moneys worth, once they get you to town. The parade route had to be 3 miles long. Some blocks there were only 2 spectators. We quickly realized that we were the only entry that had parade walkers. Everyone else was riding on a float or 4 wheeler. OK, now I get it, it's 103F and poor Grandma and Jeannie are losing ground fast. They hung in there like troopers though and we made it through. We enjoyed a cool lunch in the cafe across from the world-famous Ortman Clinic.

Work continues to be busy, which is a good thing. Winter will be here soon enough. Kyla and I leave for Sturgis in 20 days, which will fly by in the blink of an eye. I am excited for the trip and hope she won't be disappointed. It's been a long time since we've been camping together in a tent, but it must be done, in order to experience the consumate Sturgis. Unfortunately, no campfires. The Black Hills are always tinder dry this time of year, so there's always a fire ban. North Dakota is half burned up already. It is scary dry here, and worse by the day.

dogsitting update

2006-07-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

I defy anyone to prove to me there is a stupider dog on the planet. This afternoon I rushed home from Sioux Falls about 4 pm to let the dog out, since she'd been locked in the house since before 9. Of course she's happy to see me, she dances on her hind legs, she rolls and stretches in the grass, she sniffs the ground for unseen tidbits. She doesn't pee. I know she has to, but maybe she's got a shy bladder, so I go in the house so as to not stare at her while she does her business. I fetch in the mail, clean off the counter, waste about 10 minutes I could've been doing something constructive, then go back to the door. She's standing there, looking at me with her black shoe-button eyes, and waiting. I let her in, tell her what a good dog she is, pick her up for a little doggie lovin' and SHE PEES ALL OVER MY GOOD PANTS! It doesn't do any good to get mad, there is no shame, there is no comprehension. Lights are on but nobody's home at the Sugar residence. JEANNIE, COME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dogsitting

2006-07-10T09:10:00.001-07:00

Jeannie left last night for Blue Cloud Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in northern SD. It's certainly not where I would spend a week of my vacation, but she meditates, paints, and uses the quiet time to get her head straight. I don't mind so much being a bachelor for a week, but I'm also dogsitting for Sugar, which is not my favorite thing to do. I tolerate this dog, because Jeannie loves her so much, but she is high maintainence. Last night she laid in the back entryway all night, waiting for Jeannie to come home. I'm sure we'll be fine, just a little adjustment on both sides.

Last weekend was Hot Harley Nights in Sioux Falls, a huge fund-raiser for the Make-A-Wish foundation. There was reportedly 7,000 motorcycles in downtown on Sat. night. My friends and I rode down for the parade. It started at J&L Harley, which is basically out in the country on the north end of town, and wound through town, ending up in downtown, where there was a band, vendors and LOTS of people. I would put the crowd at 20,000, easily. We didn't stay too long, visited with some friends I hadn't seen for a while, ate some good chislic and headed back north. It was fun.
Work has just been super busy, which is a good thing. 3 of my listings have gone sale pending in the last week. I had 2 open houses yesterday and 2 more next Sunday. The downside to real estate is working weekends in the summer, but that's just the way it is. There is no such thing as the perfect job.
30 days from today Kyla and I will be in Sturgis. She has never been on a bike trip, let alone Sturgis, so I'm looking forward to it with great anticipation. We're only going to have a few days, and there's so much to see and do, we'll be busy non-stop. I can't wait!

Dogsitting

2006-07-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

4th of July, 2006

2006-07-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

It's July 5th today, time to put this very strange holiday behind us. I don't even know how to describe what it was like, very disconcerting. We spent the weekend camping down by Yankton like we have so many years in the past, all big, noisy crowded affairs filled with nieces, nephews, our own kids, coming, going, fighting, laughing and always eating.
This year, it was just Grandma & Grandpa and Jeannie & me. Deb and Brian and Tim and his girlfriend came down for a picnic on Sunday, but the other 4 days were just us. Not that it was a bad thing but just so weird, to go from a huge family get together to 4 old people, hanging out. It was great spending time with my parents and we had some great card games but it was like, where is everybody? this is going to take some getting used to, and frankly, I don't like it. As usual, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

Quarry Days

2006-06-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

I survived my first campaign parade, the Quarry Days parade last Sat. I had practically my entire extended family there helping, bless their hearts. Some rode in the car, (Sunkist, my '41 Chevy, now pressed into parade duty) others walked along and handed out candy to the crowd. I learned 2 valuable lessons- 1) it is impossible to shake everyones hand and keep up with the rest of the parade. 2) Don't wear cowboy boots. They're fine for ambling along but I was in full blown sprint most of the time. All told, I thought the team did a great job, thanks everybody! It was a beautiful day, and except for a thunderstorm on Friday night, a beautiful weekend. The cardboard boat races on Sat. afternoon were really fun and the LandMark Realty boat, piloted by Allie, Amanda, Erin & Jeff took first place in the "B" feature, all of them managing to stay dry. I have never seen so many campers in the campground, ever. I do believe it was party central down there. Grandma & Grandpa had their camper set up down there, but ended up spending 2 out of the 3 nights at our house due to excessive campfire smoke, no parking and general hooliganism. It was pretty much a free for all. The fireworks display last night was great as usual, a fitting end to a perfect weekend.

Candy memories

2006-06-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

So I'm preparing for this weekend and there are all these details, not the least of which is, what do we hand out while we're walking the parade route. I know you can go through candy like corn through a goose, so I get on the phone and start checking around. One phone call later, I score. Queen City Wholesale in Sioux Falls will sell me a 25 lb case of assorted hard candy for, get this, $26.15! Now think about the candy you buy in the c-store. I didn't do any factual research or anything but how much candy is usually in those little bags? 2 oz? for 99 cents? or more? This is a dollar a pound, people! It made me smile to think of how excited Wyatt would be to hear of this great discovery. If he were here for the parade, I would certainly have needed another case. That boy was a candyholic. I never said anything to him about it either and now I'm glad I didn't. Didn't matter in the end, now did it?

Time to campaign

2006-06-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's been kind of slow in the political arena, but now is the time of the year when all of the towns in my district have their annual summer festival, which means parades, which means me being in the parades, pressing the flesh and kissing babies. We're starting out this Sat. right here in Dell Rapids, with our own little celebration, www.quarrydays.com. I'm pleased to see that we have a larger variety of activities planned than in years past, so I hope we have a great turn-out. I'm having t-shirts and banners made for the parade as we speak, so it should be fun. If I ever figure out how to post a photo on this blog, I'll put one up of the parade.

Yesterday was Father's Day and the 7 month anniversary of Wyatt's passing. A very bittersweet day indeed. I spent it with my own father. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it, every second. As fathers who have both lost sons, we have a bond that no one else will ever know. A special thanks to Donald, Ali and Kasha, who remembered me yesterday, along with their own dads.

Labyrinths

2006-06-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a short article about labyrinths for all of you who don't know much about them. The garden plans are moving slowly. We are waiting for the brochures to be printed. We are planning to get underway on the garden in about 2 weeks. We can't wait to have a place to go to pray and meditate.

Why would I walk the Labyrinth?
Even though historic pilgrimage travel may not be available to everyone, the need for Pilgrimage is still present deep within each life. Pilgrimage represents our spiritual journey, our desire to grow spiritually, and in the Christian tradition, represents our commitment to Christ. Because of its Sacred Geometry, physically walking the many turns in the pattern stimulates a most quieting and conducive brain-wave pattern which opens our heart and mind to the awareness of the holy presence of God within.

Jesus said, The kingdom of God is within you. But just where is that kingdom really to be found in our human life experience? How do we attain it in this fast-paced society? No matter what our spiritual orientation, most of us need to contact that special state of awareness via the practice of prayer, corporate worship, quieting, centering, or meditating through a form of spiritual discipline. Just as spirituality is not a spectator sport, the labyrinth is not a one-time event, even though many report marvelous insights from their first experience. Rather, it invites you to deepen your spiritual experience, to 'be still and know,' to seek the Kingdom within. In short, walking the Labyrinth offers the following:

It can serve as a mechanism to reconcile you to a new spiritual way.

It can help you quiet your mind, and prepare you to listen for God.

It can help you pray with your heart (instead of with words).

It can serve as an alternative to meditation.

Dr. Lauren Artress points out that the seeking of answers to our questions is the act of walking a sacred path. When we walk the labyrinth, we discover our sacred inner space. We are attracted to healing tools such as the labyrinth because they deepen our self-knowledge and empower our creativity. Walking the labyrinth clears the mind and gives insight into the life journey.

In the words of Marilyn Campbell, All Saints' Labyrinth facilitator, "Allow yourself 45-60 minutes to experience the meditative walk. Be assured that there is no right or wrong way to walk this path. There are no tricks or decisions to make, one only follows the winding pathway into the center, then returns by way of the same path."

And finally, as excerpted from the Hungry Heart News, "The labyrinth allows us to offer up to God the reality of our lives, trusting in Godâs immense love and grace... The very life of Christian faith is a labyrinth -- full of unexpected turns and twists, requiring us to step forward in faith, confident that Christ -- our Way, our Truth, and our Life -- is at the center of the very universe and at the heart of our life in God."

Wyatt's Poker Run = Success!

2006-06-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

All the work and worry and anticipation and then- poof! So quickly, it's over. But what a glorious day it was! A recap-
Friday night I quit working about 6 pm. Ginger was already here, having flown in on Wed. night. A very good help she was on Thursday but Friday was a sunny day and even demi-goddesses have to be tan, so I lost her to the beach towel and tanning lotion. No matter as we were winding down. Friday night was to be a relaxed evening on the patio, renewing old friendhips, and so it was. Kyla and Lauren got in about dark from Mnpls, Bobbi, Josh and friends from southern MO, Will from WI, Ali from CO, Laura from Mnpls, many more friends and family. We grilled and ate and laughed, it was great.
Sat. morning dawned kinda cloudy but the forecast was for a hot, sunny day. We loaded up t-shirts and registration forms and headed to Sioux Falls about 10 am. It started to rain on me on the way down and I had a couple bad thoughts for a second but then it quit. Once we got down there, I found out the first disturbing fact of the day- there was ANOTHER POKER RUN LEAVING FROM THE SAME PLACE! No wonder the owner had not been staying in touch with me. Whether or not by accident or design, we had a local ABATE chapter set up right next to us in the parking lot. The (very literally) big guy from ABATE was whining and crying like a baby as soon as we got there, he couldn't believe we'd scheduled our run on the same day, they'd had the first weekend in June for 16 years, blah, blah, blah. He was really starting to get annoying and I was on the verge of telling him he didn't own June 3rd, no matter how much he liked to think he did, when he gave it up and went back to his table to sulk. So we're set up by 10:30 am and in the next hour we'd registered maybe, oh, 10 people. I was starting to get nervous. It was so bad we had to forge an alliance with the ABATE folks that we would ask anybody that came to our table which run they were actually there for, so we wouldn't steal each others people. About 11:45 things got busy in a hurry. Suddenly we couldn't keep up and there were lines. It felt so great to ask someone I'd never met before which ride he was there for and have him reply, "I'm here for Wyatt". There was a group of friends from Dell Rapids that actually chartered a bus, filled it and came to the run. It was awesome and overwhelming. From then on, the day was a piece of cake, riding to each spot, spending some time on the bike with my daughters, visiting with all our friends and making new ones. Too soon, it was almost 6 pm and we had to be back to the Old Dutch Inn for the drawing for best hand. All the winners graciously donated the money back to the fund. We all ate great food donated by Tom & Jamie of the Old Dutch, then danced and sang the night away with karaoke. I haven't tallied final numbers yet, but between 175-200 poker hands were sold. Special thanks to Jack at the Sidewinder, Mark & Elizabeth from Baltic Corner, Trisha & Matt from the Prarieview, Kathy & Chris from the Colton Bar, Steve from Steve's Bar in Trent, Susan & Smith Publishing for the flyers, Chris Hintz and Pinnacle Entertainment for karaoke, and last but certainly not least, Tom & Jamie from the Old Dutch Inn. I know I'm forgetting someone, forgive me, it wasn't intentional. Thanks to all of Wyatt's friends and family who traveled long distances to be with us. What a tremendous tribute to our son. Thank you all from the bottom of our heart.

68 1/2 hrs

2006-05-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

'til the poker run! The last week has been pretty much a blur. Memorial Day weekend was spent at a family reunion in Missouri. We snuck down to Branson for a day before the reunion. Jeannie had never been there before so it was fun. My folks went with us too. We saw 2 shows, a Broadway review and the Fabulous Platters. The Platters are old but they did all their hits and some Motown. Tickets were only $20 and the show lasted for over 2 hours so I guess we got our moneys worth. The family reunion was nice, very low-key and relaxed. There were conflicts because of the weekend so we were kinda short on relatives but the ones that were there enjoyed themselves.
The patio is finished and looks great. There are still many projects that are unfinished and so they shall remain. I'm not going to stress myself out doing stuff nobody else notices but me. The place is presentable and clean and that's all that matters. I think Ginger missed her plane this morning. She was supposed to be here at noon but a voicemail on my phone said that "a mixup with the flight" caused her to be coming in at 6 pm instead. Doesn't matter. She's gonna be here soon. And so will everybody else. Can't wait! The weather is supposed to be perfect, so here's hoping for the best.

Happy Birthday!

2006-05-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 49th birthday to Jeannie Gayle Ammon! In 2 weeks we'll celebrate our 29th anniversary. She has been and is my best friend, confidante, analyst, career coach and most important of all, mother of my children. She loves me with her whole heart, despite all my faults and short-comings. I couldn't have asked for a better life partner. We've been through tough times before, and we'll get through this tough time together. Happy birthday baby, you deserve more than I can ever give you. I love you!

Things are moving fast now

2006-05-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

The poker run is 2 weeks from this Saturday and the days are flying by. There are lots of little things that I want to get finished before company comes. Tomorrow is Jeannie's birthday. Saturday is graduation from good 'ol Dells High for Amelia and then Sunday at noon we put her on the plane back to Norway. She has really got herself worked up and I can see why, how strange would it be to go back to friends and family you haven't seen for over 9 months? I have to commend her, after all our family has been through in the last 6 months, she has done her best to not be a bother and aside from a few bumps, she hasn't been. I'll miss her company and the life she brought to the house.
The new patio is going in tomorrow so if everything works out like it should, we'll be relaxing on it the night before the poker run.
PS- Don't feel sorry for Jeannie having another birthday, she's still in her 40's, unlike some of us.

A Mother's Healing Garden

2006-05-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

I am so excited. Our plans are coming along so well for the garden. DreamScapes is helping us with the design, and construction. We are now in the process of getting a brochure printed to tell about the garden. We are selling memorial pavers to cover the cost of construction, along with a few grants we are applying for. We feel confident it will all work out. It will be great to have a labyrinth to walk right here in Dells. We will do a dedication when we are finished and talk about how to use it. It is going to be beautiful.
And it is only 1 1/2 weeks until the poker run. It helps us to have projects to keep our minds focused on something postitive. I have also been attending a grief workshop in Sioux Falls with my good friend Carol. Thank you to all of you who remembered me on Mother's Day. It was a hard day but your love helped me through. I don't know what I would do with all the really wonderful people in my life. I love you all.

Day 120, give or take

2006-05-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

of this cold, miserable, dark, gloomy weather. I'm sick of it! Where's the sun? Where's the global warming? I need sun! I need to sunburn my big, red face. I need to sweat profusely. High today- low 50's, dark overcast skies, cold north wind, coat on, furnace running. Blah. This weather pattern better change soon or I'm gonna.......complain some more.