Blues and Blessings!

My computer is nearly dead. Our modem is fried but limping along. When using the laptop, I am unceremoniously dumped off the Internet on average every 10 minutes. A power surge is the implied culprit but I wonder... But Merry Christmas - there are always blessings in all events, right!

So what are the implications of an altered computer life? OK, we have the laptop that Jack and I share, but that's just darn right hard for maintaining a blog site. No software has been added to the laptop as we have to find the box with the software first. This means no new photos on the blog for awhile, until I can find the Adobe software. More importantly I need to find the little box that holds the chips, so that I can download the photos. And then there is the battle of cats for my lap - the laptop comes out and both cats fight for my attention. . . the challenge of balancing a laptop while keeping the cat from knocking it on the floor. Typing on a laptop keypad does not thrill me either as it is so small! I thought I could continue typing out my blog entries on my computer and transfer over to the laptop, but my computer will not even cooperate enough to do that! I am done complaining, I would much rather move on to the blessings.

I have already decided to rethink all the bedrooms. We have a small storage problem and my solution is bookcases that we can move to our new house. I am adding them to the currently under-utilized guest bedroom as this is the perfect place for me to work on my jewelry and scrapbooks. In this way I will use a space that is empty - except when guests come. It just seemed like such a waste of space not using the room at all!

Last Friday after a week of fog, frost and ice, the sun came out and we experienced a beautiful day in the upper 60's. I think I spent the entire morning outside. I even weeded part of my front flower bed. Have I mentioned that inpatients are still in bloom here? Most of the weeds are still bright green too! Then I took an hour long walk around my new neighborhood. I met a few people so that helped ground me better into this place. There are at least 5 houses that are for sale and about three where construction was started, but stopped because of the bad housing market. Mixed in on all three streets are a bunch of vacant lots. It creates some weird energy! Jack reminded me that this development is only a year old so most of the neighbors are new to the area as well! I think we are going to have to plan some type of a spring get to your neighbors event! We could all benefit from getting to know each other!

This weekend Jack was not on call so we went on several adventures. On Saturday we had to experience the diamond mind. No, we didn't find a diamond, nor did anyone else there find one while we were looking - oh except perhaps the guys on the tree line with the permanent wood and tin shelters. We are told they were professional minors. These guys dig big holes and then bring up bucket loads of sand that they run through a slough. We heard an occasional hoot and holler from them. From there Jack and I traveled to an ancient Indian burial mound site called Ka Ho Da. Here, archeologist's had actually dug up the mounds and replicas on the bones and pottery were left in the holes for all to see. Out of respect, the original bones were turned over to the local tribes and reburied. There was also a nice museum where we learned allot about the area and the ancient tribes that used this land first.

On Sunday we headed to the Unity Church in Little Rock. We met some really awesome people and liked the programs they have to offer. We will most likely make this our church home for now. After a nice lunch at the Cracker Barrel, we headed East to the Toltec State Park to view more ancient Indian burial mounds. This site was really fascinating and we have decided it deserves a return visit. The mounds were misidentified as Toltec in the late 1800's but the name was never changed. The site did belong to an ancient indigenous tribe that disappeared about 1000 years ago. The interesting thing about this place was the design. The site was built as an astrological calendar. The mounds were used to identify important dates like the solstices and equinoxes. It appears the area was used mainly by shamans, chiefs and the like and for celebrations and ceremonies. Of the original 18 mounds (last seen in the 1950's)only three mounds remain. The dirt from the other 15 mounds was used by farmers in the area to fill in low spots in their fields. So far only one of the remaining mounds was identifed as used for actual burials. If you want to know more, come visit and we will take you for a look of your own! We took some awesome photos, but posting those will have to wait until we can work out the details, or get my computer fixed.

Well, it's two days until the holiday and one of my love gifts to Jack is to have as much of this place organized as possible. I think I am even going to attempt a trip to Home Depot on my own!!! Don't tell anyone - It's a surprise!

Merry Christmas and Holiday Blessings to each and every one of you! We hold you all in our loving heart this holiday season and through out the year.