They are modern day veterans
Thank you for going and fighting the wars, and being brave when everyone else wanted to stay home.
Thank you for putting out the fires and patching up folks
Thank you for flying the helicopters
Thank you for being the smartest person I know and building the rockets and making the things that made everything else possible,
and just being all around awesome guys.

I know I never say it, but you are all my heroes.

Col. Foey "Tex" Shiflet. Bronze Star and distinguished member of the regiment.
He served in WWII. Before that he was a texas railwayman.
He wore that belt because of injuries sustained from a grenade.
He killed to save people
He took amazing photos during the war.
Italy was his territory and he walked the whole boot. Took part in the Liberation of Rome and met the pope.
One of his jobs was to find those persons who had gone missing and document the how and bring them back.

He was quite the character when I got to meet him and get to know him. He was amazingly devoted to his family and his grand and great grand children.
He passed away 2 years ago and is very much missed. Thank you for everything you did for all of us Grandpa Shiflet.

Mark took these photos, but I wanted to repost them for all my friends who don't read his journal.


Mason and his pumpkin


Linnet and her pumpkin


Mason is not in the Jack-o-Lantern patch because he was busy throwing a tantrum. The cute little girl with Linnet is weavedancer's daughter Faye.

We are home, got in at 9:30 ish last night.
It was a fun trip. Lots to see and the kids had a blast with their cousins. I got in good snuggle and baby huffing time with my nephew Bo.
Will post later with photos and a bigger update.

Suffice to say:
We chose wisely with the routes, completely on accident, but wisely.

I had forgotten about how rudely an earthquake, even a minor minor one, can jolt a person awake.

Zebra are dumb, interesting, hay burners, who can pull some amazing stunts.

Ranch dogs love kids. nuff said.

Ranch horses think kids are interesting when kept at a distance by moms.

Vineyards everywhere. Tho I maintain the coastal CA folks and So CA folks need to learn to ration water and back the hell off on the freaking minnows so that the central CA farmers can WATER their crops. An allocation of 0% means no watering. Where do you yahoos think the food comes from?

While on the topic of "Where do you think the food comes from?" stop telling the ranchers how to kill the vermin, cause seriously... those cute little ground squirrels... they are HELL on crops, cattle, roads, and just about anything else that needs stable ground and non-chewing and digging rodents to survive.

It only takes a fully clothed 3yr old 1 second to end up back in the pool you just pulled him from, and it will scare him.

Gods but I love that aquarium, and I love the octopus and the leafy sea dragons. So very glad we got there with enough time to see the whole thing this time.


Now I need to get the kids to finish their oatmeal and get to the grocery store, cause dude... the cupboards are bare.

At least until the next one comes along...

I love big dinners, big pile the family and friends around the biggest table you can find and eat fantastic food garnished with lovely conversation dinners. The sort of dinners you dig out the china and the good silverware just because you can. Easter Sunday was one of those dinners. I had my heart set on having a big get together and achieved it.

( menu )

weavedancer and dverning showed up early and were a huge help in getting ready. Sarah jumped right in and helped with the cooking, and she and Bill both helped with the set up.
Sunday was a perfect evening in Tucson for a dinner outside. 72F and a light breeze the day after a rain. Perfection. We moved our dining table out to the back porch and mated it with 2 of our folding tables along with raventhourne's folding table and 18 chairs. Note for folks planning something like this, old curtains that are nice and when not in use covering windows, make very awesome table cloths. We got out my grandpa's old china and the silver ware and set the table as folks gathered. We ended up with 17 people including the kids. It was great!


It was a mighty impressive table once all the food was on it.

Folks got to eat their fill and visit and we finished the evening watching Bolt. Leftovers were divided up and everyone went home by 9:30pm. Just a great time and a great evening.

My kids
and...

This goofy ass photo of a snowy owl.


I can totally hear it saying "Durr...."

A jar of blue linen fabric buttons resembles a jar of blueberries. I am resisting the temptation to put cute little eyes and mouths on them anime style. I think Cecelia would not approve.

Children will always choose the one thing you are trying to hear, be it the phone or a bit of information on TV or radio, in which to be their absolute noisiest and annoying.

Children are completely unable to see a shoe in the middle of the floor not 3 feet away from the one they just found.

Simple tasks become the most complex around when their parameters need to be tweaked.

My dad and Wile E Coyote must be related. Super Genius indeed

Time to hug your favorite Irish person and thank them for saving civilization.


the Irish have been slaves
they have been persecuted, starved, forbidden to learn their own language, or practice their own religion, placed in the lowest classes of society...

and yet built the framework for a society that has brought us beautiful treasures in gold, bronze, steel, words and good humor, love for our fellow souls, decent beer, fabulous music, and the preservation of books and knowledge that would otherwise have been lost to history. They are stubborn, hard living and long loving people who also know how to forgive when the time is right to do so. An Irishman will fight by your side and drink with you after. He will grieve with your family and check in on them in the years after you have gone.

So go out and have a drink with your own favorite Irishman and I'll raise a glass to my grandpa who taught me to appreciate where I came from and just how much history matters.

big ole sack of candy... oh wait. That's Linnet's

clone trooper helmet. Ryan's

glass mug, presumably Blossom's

2 serving platters and some funky forks belonging to Bill-n-Perrin

Husband with a scratchy throat who has been consuming much peppermint tea. Said tea when sived through hubby's moustache leaves his facial hair smelling disturbingly like a Grateful Dead concert I attended long ago.

Lucky old-lady black cat

Fattest siamese cat on the planet

most EMO boy cat on the planet

dingbat parrot telling me "Goodnight"

2 compleat scrolls, one for a Duke and one for a Countess

A woman who is very thankful she got to schlep around the neighborhood with a friend and the kids instead of going it alone. Trick or Treat only has humor value when it can be shared with friends.

Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Its Friday the 13th. Do you know where your black cat is?

Mine turns 12 today. Happy birthday Gypsy!

How does a 3 hour stretch of road turn into 5? That trip does not take that long!

"Daddy I tooted for the birds!"

So glad I remembered the baby carrier mirror trick.

Those are some fat happy cow... Oh wait. Those are Pronghorn Antelope! Cool!

Concealed carry doesn't mean just one.

Texas. Its bigger than most European countries.

No, really. I can speak english. Lemme try again. No good? Hang on while I pull my foot out of my mouth.

Love my Ipod, and the car radio tuner makes it that much cooler. Thanks Fraize!

Linnet likes Gorillaz. Her rendition of "Feel Good Inc" is a hoot

Now that its out of your system, could you stop retelling that unfortunate incident?

How does a person, who's entire life has been about being the fearless hero, tell you he was scared for his life?

Why bother wearing camoflage to the grocery store?
--and the corrolary--
Why bother wearing camoflage to hunt when you have to wear a screaming orange vest over it?

West Texas posted speed limit is 80mph. Whoot!

Satisfying: Seeing the yutz who cut you off in a construction zone standing on the side of the highway getting a lecture and a massive ticket from a TX state trooper.


I'll post more as I think of them. The trip was long and tiring, and once again confirmed that mark's allergies don't agree with west texas. Sneezing till you get a bloody nose is no fun.