husband

was almost killed at work today, barely escaped a 900 pound truss (made of 20ft timber truss, stood 6' high) falling over on him.....he is in quite a serious mood tonight. i don't know what i would have done......

2327 US FATALITIES IN IRAQ

and over 30,000 Iraqi's...3 years......

www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com

---says it all, folks.

Smiles for miles!

She's so cute! She's short, getting a little chunky, grabs everything with her left hand (like me!) and coos and smiles and we just had the best time with her!

Here is our view this morning....

from the deck and back into the door. Brrr.

Blurry--Puddle of Mud

Tomorrow:

We will see Teyla!

Today, we did a bunch of stuff!

Tomorrow I will call my mom and visit with her about my week.

Yesterday.....was okay....

WOOHOO!!!

Tomorrow is Friday! Have lots of plans for the weekend? We might or we might just hang around the house, enjoy the warm fire (still winter here!) and just enjoy each other's company.

What about you?

2318 US fatalities in Iraq.

Yesterday,

was the 3rd year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. There are 2318 US casualties, I have no idea of the injuries, the civilian casualties, other military casualties...... Remember, after a year, Bush declared the war was over and people were all dancing in the street celebrating? Somehow, I STILL don't believe his bull shit.

NEW DRUGS FOR WOMEN

D A M N I T O L

Take 2 and the rest of the world can go to hell for up
to 8 full hours.



E M P T Y N E S T R O G E N

Suppository that eliminates melancholy and loneliness
by reminding you of how awful they were as teenagers,
and how you couldn't wait till they moved out.



ST. M O M M A'S W O R T

Plant extract that treats mom's depression by
rendering preschoolers unconscious for up to two
days.



P E P T O B I M B O

Liquid silicone drink for single women. Two full cups
swallowed before an evening out increases breast
size, decreases intelligence, and prevents
conception.



D U M B E R O L

When taken with Peptobimbo, can cause dangerously low
IQ, resulting in enjoyment of country music and
pickup trucks.



F L I P I T O R

Increases life expectancy of commuters by controlling
road rage and the urge to flip off other drivers.



M E N I C I L L I N

Potent anti-boy-otic for older women. Increases
resistance to such lethal lines as, "You make me want
to be a better person. Can we get naked now?"



BUYAGRA

Injectible stimulant taken prior to shopping.
Increases potency, duration, and credit limit of
spending spree.



J A C K A S S P I R I N

Relieves headache caused by a man who can't remember
your birthday, anniversary, phone number, or to lift
the toilet seat.



A N T I - T A L K S I D E N T

A spray carried in a purse or wallet to be used on
anyone too eager to share their life stories with
total strangers in elevators or checkout lines.



N A G A M E N T

When administered to a boyfriend or husband, provides
the same irritation level as nagging him.

2315 US fatalities in Iraq.

Good grief, I had to look twice to verify that!

If you are wondering about these songs.....they are some of the songs that the choir/solos will be performed at District Music Festival in a month. The melodies are just as beautiful as the words. The band is shaping up as well. We got a new sousaphone and 2 french horns. We're playing Celtic, Latin, Arabic music as well as my arrangement of Nintendo.

The weather is still really bad, but at least there is sun today and no wind. That helps.

I have so much spring fever inside. I just want to go do something, even if it is naughty!

Give me some suggestions!

HAPPY St. Patty's Day!

~e

On my own...

On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone, I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me

In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever

And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us

I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone, the river's just a river
Without him the world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers

I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life I've only been pretending
Without me his world will go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known!

I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.

I dreamed a dream.....

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

If you ever did believe.....

You've left me now
and it's seasoned my soul
And with every step you take,
I watch another part of you go...

I continue to build a wall...
You were so strong,
I fell to my knees...
And I don't think I can handle this at all...

One more night
I'd like to lie and hold you
Yes and feel...
To make you smile,
I'd like to be there for you--
Have you forgotten me?

And the days go by
Doing nothing about them...
How much time
will I have to spend?

My mind won't rest
and I don't sleep
Not even in my dreams...

If you ever did believe,
for my sake...
If you ever did believe....

And the days go by
Doing nothing about them...
How much time
will I have to spend?

ooo....ooo.....ooo...
Ooo baby don't leave me
ooo..ooo...ooo...ooo
I'm down on my knees...
ooo..ooo...ooo...ooo
begging you please...
ooo...ooo...ooo...ooo
baby don't leave me....
Did you ever believe?

what do you do

when "it" holds a completely different meaning?
when "it" becomes a wedge?
when "it" makes you become resentful?

I'm really needing some spring!

Half of our drive home was through a big ol' snow storm. Cars were off the road. It was cold. It was blowing. It was snowing. Brrrrr. I want flowers!

I did get Teyla her Spring/Easter presents. Hope to go see her pretty soon.




Happy Monday, y'all.

S.P.W.B.

"never seek...............................to tell thy love.

love that never told can be.............................


taken into the wind and silently...............and silently...............so silently...............become invisible.




never seek............never seek............never seek............to tell thy love.


i told my love................i told him of my heart..................

trembling cold...............trembling cold.................in ghastly fear ............................ he did depart.
(i told him of my heart)


never seek .............to tell thy love................love so pure, so gentle, so sweet...............will become silently invisible."

i just went off

on a blog post tonight. holy smokes, i got hot and really dug my heals in! lol

i'm starting to get excited about festival. i want it to be the best ever. i love one of the songs we are doing for choir. if you go to www.jwpepper.com, type in
"never seek to tell thy love" in the box, it will take you a page with 4 selections, choose the "real audio" and listen to it....for anyone who has been heart broken, you can totally relate. the other piece we are performing to be judged is called "Benedicamaus Domine", fast and fun.

if you want to listen, the band will be performing:
By the Rivers of Babylon (same site, type in name) and Fiero.

lots more music in the works for the large groups, concert april 4th, festival is 4/7. many are doing solos and small ensembles, those are coming together, as well.

okay, so, stress-wise, the numbers are pretty high. i'm dealing with some intensive counseling right now, working through issues from a very long time ago, and i'm still getting those log-jams moving some. stress from concert and festival coming up. but it's hard to believe just a couple more months and we will be out of school. time goes sooo fast. still doing lessons after school, they are fun. i just need it to feel like spring outside!

i'm up way past my bedtime....thanks for listening....

TTYL!
~e

Oh, the weather outside is frightful!

Snowing and blowing about 30mph. it's currently about 20 degrees, but feels much colder with the wind chill factor. Does anyone have spring? Are there any flowers blooming anywhere? It's the dead of winter here, or so it feels. I'm TOTALLY ready for a warmer climate. TOTALLY. GRRR!!!!

It makes me wonder

when bloggers, all of a sudden, have to quit blogging. Why? There are a couple of blog posts I visit where the author has decided to QUIT! Then when asked why, they give a real vague answer. I know, I know, to each his own. Cast no judgments. I'll just sit here, eat my breakfast bar and be confused for the rest of the day.

The US FATALITIES in is Iraq has risen to 2303.
~e

My Gramma Rubye Lynetta Walker

She was six years old in this pic, taken in 1913. She was incredibly musically talented, very giving and a wonderful flower gardner. Her ornery sense of humor makes me laugh. I believe I got my red hair from her. She died in 1989, 2 months after being diagnosed with leukemia. She is the only gramma I remember. People say I'm a lot like her. I do think she was dang cute, don't you?

Road Trip!

Here are some pics and facts of places we went this weekend.....





Virginia City: Historical, and restored basically as a "touristy" place. Not very authentic, but nonetheless, interesting to see. Most of this part of the country was settled because of the gold rush.



The gold rush in Alder Gulch produced the largest amount of placer gold in the Northwest an estimated $120 million. Placer gold mining, or free gold prospecting, should not be confused with hard rock gold mining. Placer mining involves dust, flakes, and nuggets, while hard rock mining involves veins of ore.

Alder Gulch yielded an estimated $30 million in gold just in the three short years between 1863 and 1866, but not everyone got rich here. The typical miner at Alder Gulch struggled, got blisters and a sore back, and barely made living wages. They would often work a few days at one job and soon quit to try another.

Today, as we drove along the highway, you could see the remnants of a raped land. The gold miners took a dredge and followed the Ruby River with it, digging up the rocks, crushing them and rinsing out the gold. There are piles and piles of what looks like rock piles. The river bed is destroyed and is now small little ponds with many small streams meandering back and forth.


Population then & now...
With a population of over 10,000 in 1864, Virginia City was the largest town in the inland Northwest. The communities strung out along Alder Gulch were known as the "Fourteen-mile City."

The 2nd most commonly asked question here in Virginia City is: How many people live here now? According to the latest population survey... 132 very hardy souls.

Bannack: First territorial capitol in the State of Montana. I've talked about this place before, authentically restored. Hotel Meade still just really has an impact on me every time I see it. When asked if I believe in ghosts or not I can honestly say, "sometimes". This is one of those times. The Sheriff of Bannack was also a leader of the gang that robbed the wagons carrying the gold out of the mines of Bannack as well as in Virginia City. Sheriff Plummer. I saw he grave today. He, along with 5 others were hung in January of 1864.








I wonder if she was a slain prostitute. I can feel her spirit in this place.

Next, we traveled to Anaconda. This postmaster originally wanted this place to be named Copperopolis, but there was already a town in Montana named that at that time, so he named it Anaconda....known for its copper mine and largest brick smoke stack in the US.


n the late 19th century, Montana was the largest producer of copper in the world. However, the mining history of what is now Montana did not begin with copper, but with the discovery of gold.

In the mid-1900's, prospectors in the area found gold and silver in placer deposits composed of sand and heavy minerals that eroded from underground rock. Found on or near the surface of the earth, the metals were separated from the rock by washing. After these were mined, it was necessary to dig further underground so shafts were dug for hard rock mining. Along the way, copper was found in many of the veins.

Riches of yesterday and today derive from the spectacular mountains of this region. From the 10,000-foot peaks of the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the 58-story smoke stack. You'll find historic and mineral historical remnants.
The town sprang up when the giant Anaconda Copper Mining Company of Butte needed a smelter for its vast amounts of copper ore. ìCopper Kingî Marcus Daly chose the site in 1882 because of the ample supply of water and limestone nearby.

In 1980, the Anaconda Company shut down its smelter operation in Anaconda, putting an end to the town's historic economic base. The idle smokestack, which can be seen from the interstate, stands more than 585 feet high and measures 86 feet in diameter at the base. It is the tallest freestanding masonry structure in the world. I read where it took over 6 millions bricks. It was built in 140 days. The stack was declared a state monument by the 1985 Montana Legislature.



When you drive alone the highway, you notice that all the juniper trees are stunted and deformed. This environmental damage was caused from years and years of toxic waste spewing from the large stack. Butte, 18 miles away, has a "pit" that is filled with the most toxic water. The environmentalists and those in charge of restoration don't even know where to begin talking for cleanup. It just sits there. I know many of you live in the city or can't even fathom the world I live in much less the impact of historical mining.

The countryside, today is so beautiful. However, there is so much nostalgia and scars from the miners raping the land. It scares me to think of what it would be like if some people didn't start paying attention and caring about the world we live in. I'm not sure where I am going with all of this. I guess it just really opened my eyes, today. I hope these small glimpses opened yours as well.

For anyone that knows me or my hair color.....this is amazingly close!

Your Hair Should Be Orange

Expressive, deep, and one of a kind. You pull off "weird" well - hardly anyone notices.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

THEY LOVED IT!

BUSY!

Projects, school, festival soon approaching...so what else have I been doing with my time? Arranging a song requested by my HS band. Yeah, you guessed it! Super Mario Brothers Theme including the Underworld Theme, The Underwater Theme and the Star Theme! It's awesome-- difficult, but awesome. We're going to read through it today. And I'm sure we will play it at the concert next month.