Quote of the day:

Courtesy of MKH who just reread Frederick Forsyth's The Fist of God:

To every man upon the earth
death cometh soon or late,
And how can a man die better
than facing fearful odds
For the ashes of his fathers
and the temples of his God?
O C Macaulay

I myself just finished a book called The Two Crosses of Todos Santos. It is a book we've had for a long time, published in 1948 or so (we haven't had it that long!) written by a woman historian who spent 19 months in the mountains of Guatamala studying the customs of the Maya indians. It is an area we drove through when Megan was a baby, so I found the book interesting just geographically. But it was also interesting in terms of culture and the survival of more ancient traditions in modified forms. We had also coincidentally just read the book of Exodus with all its explanations of the law of sacrifice before I started reading about Todos Santos with all their sacrifices of roosters and turkeys.
Kind of an odd juxtapositioning.
Enjoy your day!!

Good days, good nights

Well, March is fast departing. And I have hardly visited. Megan was here for most of the week. We went sight seeing, photo taking, eating out, art walking and more. Shooting big guns at cheap sodas. . . . A friend of Megan's came to visit and go shooting. I must say I was impressed--he used to be an avid paintballer and it transferred into being a dead-eye shot with the pistol. He killed more soda cans than any of us. I will also say that he was a great guy and a great house guest, so we hope that Bobby will be making many future visits to Rio Rico.
As you can see, Fun was had by all. Graham came home briefly. I miss you all already--I like the house being a little lively.
But, now the house is quiet and calm. Mike said I laughed and laughed outloud in my sleep last night.
If only I could remember my dreams. . .I'm sure you were in them!

MARCH FORTH!

Fory-one years ago today, MKH arrived home after 3 tours in Vietnam.

March 4th is the most commanding date in the English calendar. And the only date that is a complete sentence. For Mike it was the end of a sentence--no, no, I meant enlistment.
So we celebrate this date every year! Happy anniversary.

As to Aries Mar 21-Apr 19 this is the last silly horoscope I am going to copy. But if it applies to you, I am sure you will take it to heart:

If you can't be honest with yourself when your writing in your journal, you are totally screwed. Seriously, you're worried abut what people will think of you when you're dead so you're trying to make yourself seem cooler than you really are? Come on, Aries. Everyone needs a space where they can be brutally honest, if only to themselves. Confess and move on.

So, the question is: Do you keep a journal? and Are you an Aries? As a Leo of course I never worry about trying to appear cooler than I really am. I mean, what's that about? I don't think it's even possible.

Have a great day, and don't forget to smile.

March comes in like a lion

The happy couple at the Valentine's dance

. . . .and since it is the beginning of March I guess I will have to post Leo's horoscope. So here it goes:

The early videogame Pitfall was an affecting multisensory experience available to nuanced philosophical interpretation and third-wave Lacanian analysis: watch out for snakes, avoid quicksand, crocodiles will eat you. Are these not prismatic metaphors for modern existence? Anything is everything these days, Leo.

OK.

There are lots of Leos in the family. I hope this means something to you. I get the snakes, quicksand and crocodiles. I deal in the concrete. For the rest of you enjoy the metaphor??!

Drink til you POP!

Prevention Magazine:

Do you drink diet soda to keep off the pounds? Try another tactic. Diet soda may increase your risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms that includes high levels of BELLY FAT, blood sugar, and cholesterol. People who consumed just one diet soda daiy had a 34% higher risk of the syndrome than those who abstained, according to a new University of Minnesota study of 10,000 adults. . . .

Is nothing safe???? Is nothing sacred???? Lucky for me I normally just drink water (watch out for those plastic bottles, right?) So, if you enjoy belly fat, you know what to drink. Enjoy.

Aquarius Jan 20-Feb 18

Okay. This doesn't exactly sound like a horoscope, so I guess it just catches the essence of the Aquarius. I don't know. This one could be all wet.
Aquarius
Oak trees are truly beautiful things. I spent a week living in an old oak forest, sleeping on a bed of leaves and moss, drinking straight from an ancient spring, sustaining myself on wild boar jerky and trail mix. The sound of the wind through the trees was all the entertainment I needed. Maybe one day we can go back there Aquarius and begin to live again.

So tell me, Becky, Justin: was this you? Any other Aquarius's want to speak up? Boar jerky?? I guess it could fit? Hmm. You tell me.

And now for Sagittarius

Michael and Charlie are both Sagittarius. Obviously--they are as different as two peas in a pod. I mean look at the peas closely and you will see that they are nothing alike.
OK--
Sagittarius Nov 22-Dec 21
Don't ever let anyone tell you that classical guitar is for pansies. I got stuck in a freight elevator once in an abandoned building in downtown Almeria with all these guitar students, and dudes just opened up their cases and started playing crazy, centrapuntal, baroque sh--. And they had wine and cheese and olives. Look past the obvious Sagittarius and it'll get you drunk.

Hmmm. I don't get this one myself and I can only recommend staying out of those abandoned buildings. As for the getting drunk, I think you're all well past that, no matter what the stars seem to think.

Speaking of stars look for the new comet--greenish, east southeastern sky. Only comet ever to be traveling backwards--in the opposite direction of the planetary orbits. Now there is something actually interesting.