Great Grandfathers and Great Grandmothers

Three posts in two days. I know I'm not being consistent with my postings, but the new year tends to get me introspective so that's why the increase in posts.

We were with my family on Christmas Eve and I found myself watching my dad closely. I watched the way he played with the grandkids and interacted with them. I thought about what he meant to my kids. He's not the favorite relative they have, but he is a favored relative. I watched his reaction to them and how they are all his favorites (favorite Kanga, favorite Tigger, favorite Roo, etc). I noted the smiles, the laughs, the kind words and encouragement. I sidled up to him in a brief lull of people and told him that he was a good grandfather. And how that made me miss his father.

I've already mourned my grandfather, who was the inspiration for this blog. And while I've missed him at times I've not felt a need to mourn again. Until I made that comment to my father. I could see that Dad felt the same thing as me, but I could also see that I had paid him a great complement. He deserves that comparison. I have been very blessed by the patriarchs in my family.

I have also been blessed by the matriarchs. My two oldest childrens' middle names are tied directly to their grandmothers for good reason. My own grandmothers are and were caring individuals. My paternal grandmother, who died three months after my grandfather, was caring, witty, educated, and musical. She would play games with us - she loved games - and was not the sort of person to "let" you win. You had to earn it. My maternal grandmother, who was not always the most liked is a selfless individual who cares about and helps all those around her. We did not always understand grandmother, but my siblings and I came to know what an amazing women she is. As an example, I carried an extra dinner across the street every Sunday while I was in college to the couple across the street who had constant medical problems. Without being asked Grandmother sent me with a baking sheet covered in warm dishes to the Simmons which was always received with much appreciation. I remember meeting a man whose first words out of his month upon learning of my relation to her told me how appreciative he was for her visits to his aged mother. She visited her, not for hours, or days, or weeks, or months, but for years. It's no wonder that my mother has always been very selfless as well.

All in all, I'm grateful for my grandmothers and grandfathers.

A white and fine Christmas

Christmas this year was very white, as I'm sure the rest of you living in Utah noticed. It was very beautiful and was perfect for my work's Christmas bunch where I was asked to head up a vocal quartet that performed. It was fun to sing with Andy (Young), Warren (Loveless), and Aaron (Garza).




The family parties were a lot of fun. The three pictures below were all from Angel's grandmother's get together. I'm glad that I get a long with so many of her relatives. As a young man you are inundated with stories of horrific get togethers with the in-laws, but I haven't had one yet. Kanga, Roo, and Tigger enjoyed themselves. I love these pictures of them as they do a good job of showing off parts of their personalities. Kanga loves to dress up (that's her trying on a new dress she just received). Roo, when unsure what to do, is quite and watches, very much like his mother (he's also starting to get tired at this point). And Tigger is a happy kid who just can't keep still (you can see his had is blurry because he's pulling it out of his pocket.

 We all got things we enjoyed for Christmas and have LOVED being close to family and visiting with them. With that said, we're planning on taking New Years a little easier, but it still includes a family dinner with Angel's aunt (the one sitting next to her in the picture). The kids have all been very good with Christmas being a little thinner due to Angel quitting her job. While finances are always stressful the blessing of her being at home with the kids is far greater than anything money could buy. With that said, I'm currently waiting to hear about a job I interviewed for (on the same day I sang at work). I've got high hopes that I'll be looked on favorably and have a better than average shot at it. Regardless, it's uncertain what the future holds and while I always have a little anxiety about the unknown I'm glad that I have my family by my side for the journey.

2015 Books reviewed

First off, this is not a "Best of 2015" list. I don't want to end up on Richard's list.

Looks like it was a little thinner this year for books. But that was probably due to me finishing my masters and cutting our audible account in September. Last year's total was 46, so I'm down nine. However, that is books reviewed not read. I think I read a half dozen ebooks that I didn't review (not quite "if you can't say something nice" but close enough) and I read a lot of monographs for classes and such. The list looks a lot shorter because I had more repeat authors this year that last year (5 books from Elizabeth Moon, 3 from Brian McClellan, 6 from Brandons - Mull and Sanderson).

Curtsies and Conspiracies and Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger
1633 and 1634: the Baltic War by Eric Flint (and David Weber)
Legion, Legion: Skin Deep, and The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Slaves of Socorro, and Scorpion Mountain by John Flanagan
Dracula by Bram Stoker
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher
Sky Raiders, Rogue Knight, and Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull
The Seventh Sigil by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes
Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic, (The Powder Mage trilogy) by Brian McClellan
Trackers by Peter Haran
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
The Ethos Effect by L.E. Modesitt, jr. (I have actually read three others and am in the middle of a fourth by Modesitt's but haven't reviewed them yet. I wanted to get the whole set read).
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Thursdays with the Crown, and Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George
Farmer in the Sky by Robert A Heinlein
Dune by Frank Herbert
Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal, Engaging the Enemy, Command Decision, and Victory Conditions (Vatta's War series) by Elizabeth Moon
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
Her Brother's Keeper by Mike Kupari
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Favorite book this year - Silver in the Blood. It was a great romp for all ages and held me entranced for the whole thing. I loved the mythos of the family and, like Dracula, knowing what's coming just builds the suspense. With that said, The Aeronaut Windlass comes in a very close second. Steampunk, airship combat, great characters. It was close. Interesting enough, both of those books are ones I read, not had read to me. There runners up for favorites were Son of the Black Sword and Rithmatist, both by great authors who are really good with character and plot. Correia has joked that he doesn't mind coming in behind Butcher and he does again. But not by much.

However, I have to mention that The Power Mage trilogy takes favorite series. And that probably takes first place for the year overall. It was an incredible ride through an awesome world with great characters and all the awesome. What's more is that Brain McClellan is a new author and this is his debut series. Like I said, all the awesome. Vatta's War was also very good and ranks high on the favorites.

All in all, it was a good year for reading. There was some great stories that I look forward to re-reading/listening to, and others I can't wait to share with my children (I've already pawned off a bunch on my friends). I can't wait to see what next year brings. I've already got several I'm looking forward to reading and others I just need to finish.

Losing tempers

This last week Tigger decided to play in the bathroom sink. He knows he shouldn't but he tends to anyway when he goes to the bathroom. However this time he left a towel in the sink and the water running. I have no idea how long it was like that before I went in to grab some tissue to wipe Roo's nose (he and I have colds) and discovered Tigger's new water park.

I'll be honest, I lost my temper and wanted to throttle him. Angel was also upset and let him know it in no uncertain terms. He was promptly told that he was expected to clean up the mess immediately and that if he was lucky he would be allowed to see the light of day before he died. It was a fair amount of water and I knew that towels were not going to get the job done by themselves. So I ran down to get the wet/dry vacuum. That's when i realized that it was raining in the basement. That should have really made me even more upset but it didn't. In fact I wasn't even mad. I think this was because I had dropped my phone that morning.

For the last two weeks I've been dealing with the complications of dropping my phone. I won't bore you with the details, but that very morning I dropped my replacement phone and broke the screen. I was so mad at myself for doing something so stupid that I almost threw the phone against the wall. The whole situation had been such an emotional ride already that I was just done. I hopped in the car and used the drive to "talk myself back from the ledge." I had to tell myself that life would go on, that it wan't as bad as my emotions were making me think it was, and that I needed to calm down. I finally succeeded in calming down and everything really was fine.

I think because I had to deal with my own little emergency that morning that I didn't totally flip out even worse when I saw the waterfall. In fact, I might have laughed. I worked with Tigger and he did a great job getting everything cleaned up. Really, he didn't complain or shirk, even though he doesn't normally like vacuums. I was really impressed and while he couldn't play with friends for three days, it was only for three days.

In the end, I think it was a great experience for him despite the difficulty he caused.

Book Review - David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

My work sponsors a book group every semester. Now that I think about it, I didn't review the book last time. I may need to get on that.... Anyway, this year there was a great selection of books, but I wasn't really drawn to many of them. I had heard about David and Goliath through Audible when it came out so I thought I would give it a go. Our group is only four people, but I like them all and am looking forward to the discussion later this month. Like with the other non-fiction books I've reviewed the "plot" section of this review will include an overview of the points that Gladwell makes. In many ways, Gladwell reminds me of Taleb and Black Swan in that he introduces ideas that seem contradictory or highly unorthodox, but with consideration make sense and should be the logical choice. It was a good read, although it wasn't always easy. Gladwell requires you to reflect on the people and situations that he presents and some of the situations can be painful. In any event, the book was a good read and worth considering.

Plot: Why was Goliath surprised when David slew him? A thing like that hadn't entered his head before. David is the mascot of any underdog taking on the superior foe. However, was David really at a disadvantage when he fought Goliath? If you look closely at the situation, even without considering possible physiological considerations/limitation, David was armed with a projectile weapon against a man with a sword. He had essentially brought a gun to a knife fight. There's no wonder he won. However, the fact that don't tend to consider the details but rather make assumptions based on imperfect information. Gladwell looks at the strengths that come with being an underdog and the weaknesses of giants that are not readily apparent. He demonstrates these ideas through relating actual events and through interviews with those that were the underdogs. The clincher of the book is that you might not be as disadvantaged as you originally thought.

My personal favorites: This book causes you to shift you mindset and consider some things that may be perceived as laws, but are in fact just customs or traditions. It is inspiring in that it lets you see what kinds of advantages you can have because of disadvantages. It also encourages you to consider what's the worst that can happen and what that enables you to do.

Considerations: There is no language or sensuality of course. There are some descriptions of childhood leukemia that showed it's devastating impact, but nothing graphic. I found some of the examples he gave were of people that pushed the lines of ethics in my opinion and consequently their behavior should not be emulated, but Gladwell might argue that point. As ethics is determined by social and cultural norms more than rigid laws and this book is about looking beyond those norms his examples make sense and show exactly what he is discussing. The only other thought I have on this book is one that I have with many such books or stories when I come across them - for every person who succeed how many failed? My (albeit small) inner skeptic knows that books like this are only written about success and that stories about failures are not often published which gives us a skewed view of success. With that said, Gladwell does look at some examples where someone failed to achieve what they wanted to despite doing what appeared to be the right thing. He also acknowledges the fact that the disadvantages that can create an advantage are still disadvantages that we won't wish on anyone and we should not seek for them. Regardless of my small misgivings about these kinds of books, I feel and know that they need to be written for the simple reason that they show that success is possible. If a person is unable to see the potential of success they will never strive for it. This book encourages us to look at that potential and rise up to meet it.

The book was very good and it was a relatively quick read for non-fiction. It's well written, expertly organized, and engaging. I've already got an eye on one of Gladwell's other books and do not expect to be disappointed. The total length was 295 pages.

Book Review - Her Brother's Keeper by Mike Kupari

I pre-ordered Her Brother's Keeper back in June and have been waiting anxiously for it. This is for two reasons. First, I really like Mike's work with Larry Correia in Dead Six and Swords of Exodus. Those two books have awesome characters and action and a plot that is more complex than a whole lot of other books out there. I recently read some books through a free ebook service and I have not reviewed them here because they felt very mediocre. I once asked my Mom if Jane Eyre was a Gothic novel and she replied by saying Jane Eyre is what Gothic novels aspired to be. Dead Six and Swords of Exodus are to action and military thriller as Jane Eyre is to Gothic. Because of how Mike and Larry wrote those books, you can tell when you're reading Mike and when you're reading Larry. This is not due to a difference in quality but rather style, and Mike has established a great writing style. I would say that Mike has a great way with characters, specially ones that have to deal with all kinds of troubles and still keep on moving. Second, for a brief period, before he cleared out his Facebook friends, I was able to interact with him and see a bit of his life. He was a really nice guy. Somebody that impressed me in several different ways. I don't know that I would be able relate to him or that we would have a lot in common, but he was somebody that I wanted to see succeed. Her Brother's Keeper is his first solo book and if it did well then he might be able to get a contact with the publisher that would help support him. Between his good writing and my desire to see him succeed, I wanted to support him. That is why I pre-ordered his book. And I'm glad I did.

Plot: Cecil Blackwood is the heir to the Blackwood clan's fortune and power on Avolon. He is also a bit of a scoundrel. His latest adventure has sent him to the far distant, tumultuous planet of Zanzibar, hunting alien relics where he was quickly captured by a local warlord, Lang. Now he is being ransomed off to his family. Captain Catherine Blackwood runs a tight ship and has a reputation for calm efficiency. That's one of the reasons her father hired her to get her brother back despite not being happy with her chosen career. Catherine's job is to travel the months long journey to Zanzibar and get her brother back. Her father simply intends to pay Lang, but Catherine knows that most jobs don't always go according to plan so while stopping for supplies she hires a few people who specialize in getting people like her brother away from warlords like Lang. With a ship for of supplies and some people who are very good at breaking things She sets off to rescue her brother. But Cecil won't be ideal for that time and what he and his colleagues find might just change Zanzibar for the worst.

My personal favorites: As with his other work, I liked the characters. Kupari has created a good cast. I would love to follow any of the characters into other stories whether it's Catherine into space, Cecil on a dig, or Marcus at home with the police. The world/galaxy Mike set up is complex. It explains the idea of "lost technologies" far better than I've seen it anywhere else. The action was, of course, well done. Mike knows his stuff having been in firefights and disarmed actual bombs himself. The story was also more than just your standard space opera. There was a mash of different genre stories throughout and it made it a lot of fun. It was difficult to put the book down once I started.

Considerations: There is little strong language, certainly a lot less than Dead Six. There wasn't any graphic violence, despite there being a fair amount of action. It was tastefully done. There was some sensuality with nothing graphic or too descriptive - along the lines of Dead Six again. All in all, I would recommend it to a older young adult and above audience - 18 or so.

I loved every minute of Her Brother's Keeper. It was a great action Sci-fi with classic elements such as space ship battles, FTL travel, new cultures and aliens and, where rocket ships take off and land on their tails, "...as God and Heinlein intended." I'm glad to have it in my collection and I look forward to future stories set in this world. The total length was 384 pages.

Book Review - The Aeronaut's Windlass:The Cinder Spire Series book 1 by Jim Butcher

I've reviewed a couple of Butcher's Dresden Files books and I enjoyed them quite a bit. I would like to read more of his stuff, but my library doesn't carry the next one I need. Luckily, I was able to get The Aeronaut's Windlass through my library's eBook collection. I was excited because I really liked Butcher's other stuff and I can appreciate, and enjoy, a good steam punk. Windlass was not a good steam punk, it was a great steam punk. It was accessible, mysterious, funny, intriguing, exciting, and captivating. Because I have a lot of reading time on the bus, I don't tend to read to myself at home. However, I couldn't get enough of this book and finished in traditional fashion, lying in bed unable to sleep until I finished it. It's the third of six books that I've got on my plate at the moment. And I'm glad that I was able to enjoy it.

Plot: The Spires are community that rises into the sky in structures built by unknown hands that are connected via airships powered by crystals grown over years, decades, and centuries. While they usually get along, every once in a while there are difficulties. Spire Albion is a prosperous "country", ruled by a council of noble houses and protected by the Fleet. Captain Francis Madison Grimm is not with the fleet. He was, but he was drummed out for cowardice, or at least that's what the official report said. Since then he's been making his way as a privateer wreaking havoc on Spire Aurora's merchant shipping. Enough that they decided to try to shoot down his ship. Limping home Grimm arrives in time to help repel a full scale assault on Spire Albion by Spire Aurora. Grimm isn't the only one that is able to lend a hand at the time of the assault. Gwendolyn, Benedict, Bridget and Rowl (a cat) are recruits finishing their training in the Guard who find themselves faced with the enemy. Showing great coolness and cunning while under fire they catch the eye of the man in charge and are tasked with a mission of finding out what the attack was trying to cover. There is more than meets the eyes going on.

My personal favorites: I liked everything about this book, the characters, the plot, the world, the action. Everything. It was gripping and complex, yet easy to follow. The cats were wonderful, adding intrigue and comic relief in turn. Yet everything was balanced so well that it didn't feel too much at any time. The tension was consistent but I didn't get desensitized. The learning curve was fairly lengthy but it was a gradual and, again, easy to follow. Butcher does a great job with action and suspense and there were several stand up and cheer moments. All in all it was a great read and an awesome ride.

Considerations: There was plenty of violence, but little of it was graphic. Some strong language, but nothing my that jumped out - a lot of it was in world language. Some sensuality, but very, very little, and nothing descriptive. I would probably recommend it for more of a mid to later young adult (sixteen and up) more for situation and technology considerations than for anything else.

I loved The Aeronauts's Windlass. It was a great action/adventure story told in a fun world and by an expert storyteller. It would be a great read for someone interested in steampunk or someone looking for a fun take on sci-fi. Either way, it's a total win. I got it on ebook, so I cannot say how long it was.

Sacrement Talk - Recognizing the Spirit - Nov 22, 2015

Update: I actually did not give all of this talk. I timed it out and it took a little less than 15 minutes. But when it was my turn to speak I only have 10 minutes. The great thing about writing your talk out and practicing it a few times is that you know what the important stuff is and you can cut the parts you don't need. Anyway, I wrote this as more of an article anyway so it works here. There are still some rough transitions but I still like it.

I love to look at the sky. Growing up my father taught me about different types of clouds and weather patterns. To this day I love watching lightning storms and listening to the rain. At night he would point out constellations, satellites, and the phases of the moon. I've stood with him and watched the northern lights and have lain with him in our sleeping bags underneath a sky so full of stars we couldn't speak. I know there is a God and the Heavens is where He dwells.

When Christ was born there were signs in the heavens. In the Americas the sun set but it was still light. All over the world a new star was seen. That star guided those wise men who studied the heavens to the Christ child where they fell and worshiped him. At His death, there were storms and tempest and the sun was blotted out for three days. Certainly in ancient times the sky was God's Facebook.

The sky does not have as much meaning today. We have maps, compasses, and GPS units to navigate by. We have satellites and radar to track storms and hurricanes. We even have telescopes and space probes that bring those far distant stars, planets, and even galaxies, into our labs and onto our personal devices. It's funny that if you want to see the sky now you usually look on a screen. But the sky and heavens are still there and they can guide us, warn us, and inspire us.

One of the songs that the choir is preparing for Christmas asks, "If a star were shining bright, would we notice in the night?" That line hit me hard. Would I notice a new star if it appeared? If my Heavenly Father was trying to tell me something and was using a star to do it, would I get the message? Would I be one of the wise men that, upon seeing the star would follow it. That got me thinking, am I noticing all the messages that my Heavenly Father is trying to send me? Has he reached out to me with his spirit and have I failed to notice? Has he hung a new star before me and have I noticed it?

Allow me to liken the Spirit to the sky, particularly the stars above. First, like the stars the Spirit requires us to look up in order to see them. Remember Pres. Monson's advice to Elder Carl B. Cook in of October of 2011, "It is better to look up" towards Christ and Heavenly Father. Second, the stars can only be seen if we are in a place where their light can shine. We will not be able to feel the Spirit if we "dwell in unholy temples" (Helaman 4:24). Third, If we are to attempt to make meaning of what we see in the sky, we must learn how to understand what we see. An understanding of how the Spirit speaks will not come just because we ask for it, but we "must study it out in your mind" (D&C 9:7-8). And fourth, even though we cannot always see them, the stars are always there, vigilant, constant, and unchanging. Can we not describe the Spirit in the same terms that Pres. Hinckley described the North Star as related in the April Conference of 2004, "...A constant in the midst of change. ...Something that could always be counted on, something that was dependable, an anchor in what otherwise appeared to be a moving and unstable firmament."

While I'm sure you could write an entire talk based on this analogy, this talk is not that. I tried to, but the topic I was given was recognizing the Spirit and it trying to make the entire simile fit that singular point was unnecessarily convoluted. So, without further reference to a rather nice analogy, if I say so myself, let us look at what is necessary to recognize the Spirit.

All of us must learn how to recognize the Spirit. A great example of this is the prophet Samuel. The history is recorded in 1st Samuel 3:1-10. As he's lying down to sleep Samuel, the young assistant to the priest Eli is called by the Lord. As the scripture says in verse 7, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him." Thinking his master had called him, Samuel ran to Eli who had just crawled into bed. Eli tells Samuel that he didn't call him and to go back to bed. This happens again, Samuel is called, goes to Eli, and is sent back to bed. The third time it happens Eli realizes what is going on and instructs Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." Samuel went on to become a great prophet of God but we must remember that he, like all of us, had to learn.

An important step in recognizing the Spirit is to invite the Spirit. Elder David A Bednar said in Oct conference of 2010, "We more readily receive and recognize the Spirit of the Lord as we appropriately invite Him into our lives. We cannot compel, coerce, or command the Holy Ghost. Rather, we should invite Him into our lives with the same gentleness and tenderness by which He entreats us." We will never recognize the spirit if we do not make a place for Him in our hearts through prayer, fasting, and fulfilling our covenants. It is as we strive to live the gospel and be worthy of His presence that we may receive and then recognize the spirit. We must be careful though. At my fingertips I have all of the church magazines and general conference talks back to the 1970s. I have access to the church website anywhere my phone can get a signal. I can read, watch, or listen to almost anything I want just by pulling my phone out of my pocket. The Lord has helped this come to pass because it will enable His gospel to be spread faster and to more people than ever before. However, it is not hard for Satan to use this wonderful opportunity to hinder us with the other things we can do with technology.. With it he can distract us from better things. He can inundate us with media or other, more mundane thoughts until we become distracted from the spirit. It is possible to become addicted to entertainment and like any addiction, it can deaden our senses to more important things. While as a missionary I read an Ensign article by Pres. Hinckely entitled "Life's Obligations." In it he quoted Pres. McKay, speaking to the Twelve, "Brethren, we do not spend enough time meditating." Pres. Hinckley went on to say, "I believe [men's] lives would be enriched if, instead of sitting on the sofa (or anywhere else) and watching (or playing) a game that will be forgotten tomorrow, they would read and think and ponder. They would be blessed if they were to go out into the dark of the night, look at the stars, and ponder their place in the eternal plan of the Almighty." (emphasis added).  We have but to set our technology aside for a time and focus our thoughts on the things of God. We should not be afraid of quiet or silence, or of not being connected to the busy world around us. The world will continue even if we are not keeping an eye on it. Meditation, reflection, pondering, introspection, and even simple wondering are things we can do almost anywhere. I've found my morning bus ride to be an excellent place for meditation and reflecting. I can watch the sun rise on God's green earth and read His scriptures or the words of His prophets. I do not have a powerful spiritual experience every morning, but I am in a state of mind where I can.

I read an article on LDS.org recently that mentioned that many people, especially children think that we can only feel the Spirit at monumental events or special occasions such as a baptism, temple open house, or when asking in the Book of Mormon is true. I tried this with my own children, and while young, they both remembered feeling the Spirit at the Brigham and Ogden temple open houses. In these moments it is hard not to feel the Spirit and it is easy to recognize his influence in those moments, but he is not limited to only manifesting at those times. The article pointed point that we can, and should, learn to recognize the Spirit throughout our day. In this way we can be guided and have peace and comfort regardless of when our baptism or last temple trip was. Bishop Perkins commonly asks in Priesthood opening excises for people to share any spiritual experiences they had during the week. Such sharing enables all of us to come to know how the Spirit works in others lives and helps us learn how to see it in our lives. While we should be mindful not to share anything too personal or too sacred we should share how the Spirit touches us, especially with children, so that others may also come to see it in their lives. This is because the Spirit may manifest in many different ways. Pres. Howard W. Hunter explained, " I get concerned when it appears that strong emotion or free-flowing tears are equated with the presence of the Spirit. Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself. I have watched a great many of my brethren over the years and we have shared some rare and unspeakable spiritual experiences together. Those experiences have all been different, each special in its own way, and such sacred moments may or may not be accompanied by tears. Very often they are, but sometimes they are accompanied by total silence. Other times they are accompanied by joy. Always they are accompanied by a great manifestation of the truth, of revelation to the heart. … Listen for the truth, hearken to the doctrine, and let the manifestation of the spirit come as it may in all of its many and varied forms." (from Teaching: No Greater Call [Link])

Often the Spirit may come to us as a persistent or powerful thought. While preparing this talk I experienced this. As I arrived at work I was suddenly hit with that thought that I needed to see my sister. At first I thought that I had this feeling because I hadn't seen here for a while, but I soon realized that it was more than that. All I could think about was how I could see her. It was not hard to arrange it and within a relatively short time I was able to bring her some hot chocolate and sit and chat with her for five minutes. It turned out that she had been needing some comfort and I was able to give it. Elder Lawrence in this last conference mentioned spiritual promptings to "stop complaining," "clean your room," "increasing your temple attendance," and "keep the Sabbath day holy." Hardly the typical "Thou shalts" we read in the scriptures, but none the less they are promptings from the Spirit. These kinds of manifestations of the Spirit can feel like our own thoughts and we sometimes question if it really is the Spirit talking to us. However, there is a simple way we can resolve that questions. Moroni 7:13 says, "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." Regardless of what you may feel prompted to do and regardless of if that prompting comes as direction from the Spirit or from your own thoughts, if it directs you to do good it is from God. As we learn to recognize and act on these feelings as being from God, then He in turn can send us more promptings knowing that we will fulfill them. And thus we will grow as the Lord has said, "I will give unto the children of men line upon line, preceptupon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." (2nd Nephi 28:30).

Brothers and Sister, may we never have enough of the Spirit in our lives. May we always look up to Him who knows all things and recognize his Spirit when it comes. It can sometimes be frightening to think about what the Lord may prompt us to do, but I know that He will not ask us to do anything that we are incapable of. Such is His way. I bear my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ and that as we strive to do His work that He will guide us through the Spirit. As seek to invite and recognize the Spirit we will see him and as we act on those promptings we will be blessed with success. We may not always see that success, but we will continue to have more experiences with the Spirit that will bless us. This is know and say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Daniel M. Allred

Nov 22 / 2015

Photo update

I use this blog as much as a scrapbook or journal as a family letter. So some posts are specifically for my own records. I recently went through my phone to swap out SD cards and I came across these pictures and decided I should post them. They are in no particular order and many are completely unrelated to the other, but here they are so that Kanga, Tigger, and Roo can enjoy them later.

Angel pulled the tent out a couple times this summer and the kids had a blast playing in it. The hard part was always making sure to clean it up before the next day so the sprinklers wouldn't douse it and everything inside it. The kids did spend a couple of nights outside in the tent over a Friday night. They got about as much sleep as if they'd had a slumber party (one of the greatest oxymorons ever created).

This was the picture that Angel sent me of the kids on their first day of school. Tigger started kindergarten and Kanga entered 2nd grade. As of now they are still enjoying school although Tigger can only tell me what he did at break. However, I was reading to him last night and quizzing him on his letters sounds and names and he did a lot better than he has in the past, so I guess we'll let him keep going. :) Kanga loves doing homework with friends and is glad that we had a new family move in that has kids her age that she can play with.She's still studying Chinese and doing a pretty good job of speaking it. I'll have to see what movies we have that have Chinese subtitles/language tracks. Their school was recently featured for it's "super readers" and we attended a celebration at the high school a could of weeks ago. They had superhero and princess look-a-likes. I thought it was funny how they use characters from predominately video based formats to advocate reading. I'm sure it has something to do with visibility.

I took this picture because it was just such a beautify image. I love the look of the clouds and flag. I was feeling very patriotic. This picture is from several weeks ago. The weather has been turning colder since then and it even snowed yesterday and today. There is snow on the caps of the mountain and we're going to buy Angel some new snow boots. I don't mind taking the bus when the weather is questionable because then I don't have to drive in it and can enjoy reading a book. Regardless, I love this was a good day and the Picture turned out pretty decent.

This is the last of my canning for the year. Last year we didn't get any apples (or at least not enough to do anything with). This year we didn't get as many as two years ago, but it was enough to make 11 quarts of applesauce. As with other canning projects, I managed the majority of the project, but I don't mind. I really enjoy being able to see the fruit-based-results of my labor. The kids helped me process one of the batches, using the plunger to push the boiled apples down the food processor. Two years ago I used my mom's old hand crank strainer, but this year I used one we got with our Kitchen Aid mixer. It was nice not to have to turn the handle, and it performed really well. It was a busy day because Angel went to a girl's night with her mother and sister and I had the kids and their friends for the afternoon. I'm glad that I can handle the kids while Angel gets away.

This was Halloween this year. It was a year of reused costumes. Kanga's was one she wore shortly after Tigger was born (Tigger her brother, not the brother dressed as Tigger). The didn't have her size when we bought it, so we got a size bigger. Turns out that 7 year-old Kanga can fit in 3 year-old Kanga's clothes. Tigger did get the armour and helmet this year, but the cape and the sword were from other occasions. He's also wearing camo pants. Roo is wearing his cousin's costume, or was it Tigger's costume? I can't remember, but we didn't buy it. As for myself, I'm just wearing my airsoft stuff with a nerf gun. Angel stayed at home and passed out candy. This was the best picture that we had form my phone. I don't look like much, but the kids are better here than in the other one. Either way, we had fun and got a lot of candy.

This is what I came home to the other day. I had my usual early morning Sunday meeting and as I come up the stairs I see Roo sitting on the table eating butter off the butter knife. He's started climbing more, despite not walking yet. Heights do not appear to worry him, although he doesn't like it when he can't reach the floor but can't pull himself up either. His feet swing like a pendulum and then he starts to worry. We're hoping he starts walking soon because he is getting heavy!

That catches us up on some more current pictures. I need to get some for my office because Roo doesn't even have a picture in my office. I'll work on that next.

Audible Book Review - Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia, Saga of the Forgotten Warrior book 1

This is my last Audible review for a time. We are already trying to figure out how to get the means to support our audio book addiction, but for now, this is the last book I got from them. I preordered it a while ago and, clearly have been looking forward to it ever since. While Corriea is known for his "gun" fiction, this is his first shot (pun intended) at epic fantasy. You might think that Into the Storm would be his first shot, but remember that he was given a world to work with and got to write a great story within that world. Even his other books are based on worlds that already existed (for the most part) that he just tweaked. His tweaking is really, really good in my mind but Son of the Black Sword is 100% his own creation. And he does great. It feels different from his other books. There are some similarities, but I didn't feel that I was rereading anything. You could argue that Jake Sullivan, Agent Franks, and Ashok Vadal are the same person, but I say no. They act in similar ways but for very different reasons. And the difference in those reasons produces different people. Here is a link to the Audible page for the book. It was strange to listen to a book by Correia that was not narrated by Bronson Pinchot or Oliver Wyman, but Tim Gerard Reynolds who did a fantastic job. All in all I was very pleased with the story and am looking forward to the next in the series.

Plot: Lok is a continent surrounded by Hell. Demons possess the oceans and water is considered impure. Yet, water is necessary for life. This is just one of the contradictions that exist in Lok. There is no king, there is no ruler, there is only The Law that dictates all. But the law only applies to people and, due to a brutal caste system, there are hundreds of thousands of Untouchables - people that have no caste - that are treated as less than property. When ranked in order of importance cattle rank higher than the caste-less. Everyone has a place, except for them.

Ashok, of house Vadal's, place is that of enforcer of The Law. A member of the order of Protectors, he is sent to fight demons, kill criminals, end house wars, and fulfill the commands of those that oversee The Law. Ashok is known throughout Lok as "the Blackheart" because he is merciless and unflinching in his duty to The Law. To him, The Law is everything.

So when he learns that he is not who he things he is, that he is, in fact, the result of criminal activity, his world starts to collapse. Driven almost mad with the discovery he turns on those responsible and then turns himself in. While this would normally be seen as a good thing, Ashok holds one of the legendary ancestor blades - swords that can remember every person, every battle, every cut, slash, and parry and passes that information on to it's barer. They are swords that turn their bearers into men capable of defeating armies. But the swords are picky about who they choose. Anyone unworthy of wielding one of the black steel blades will find the sword unmerciful - usually by removing valuable body parts when they pick it up. A bearer of one of these swords is a force of nature and cannot be treated as a common criminal. So Ashok sits in his jail cell, confined only by his unwavering duty to The Law while those in power plot not only his demise but also that of hundreds of thousands. While The Law may be perfect, those that uphold it may not be so pure.

My personal favorites: One, the picture I have here. It was the original cover art, but the publisher included it as an art plate when they decided to go with the simpler cover. As usual, Correia shows great skill and establishing the world his characters inhabit. In this case he has created this world and I could believe it. From the politics to the castes to the magic and the time scale I got it. The characters were great as well. They have some good complexity and aren't just one sided. There are some great contradictions that provide some good conflict and intrigue. The book reads like a classic fantasy but with Larry's flair for action. I look forward to seeing where the story and characters go.

Considerations: Despite his other books, Son of the Black Sword does not have as much language as may be expected. Rather, I should say that Larry does a good job of creating in-world language. As water is considered evil most of their curses invoke it. "Oceans!" and "Fish eater" are some examples. While there is some gore, he does not dwell on it, nor is it gratuitous or visceral. There is plenty of violence - this is a Larry Correia book after all - but again, it does not dwell on the gruesome parts of it. It read like many of the classic fantasy books I read as a young adult. As usual there are no sex scenes and no real instances of sensuality or sexuality.

The book did not feel as long as it was and that was because I got sucked in pretty quick. It was a very enjoyable listen and I look forward to the future books. The total length was just under 16 and half hours.

Book Review - Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

This is the first of six books that I've currently collected and feel a need to finish in the next couple of weeks. This one came first because 1) it is a library book, so I needed to finish it in a timely manner, and 2) I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of it for a couple of months now. I really like Jessica Day George as you may be able to tell from the other six books I've read and reviewed. I was particularly interested in this one after my mother reported on going to hear the author talk about. George got many of the ideas from actually going to Romania and pulling on local legends. What some may not know about Romania is that within its boarders exists an area that is known around the world as the lair of a terrible beast - namely Transylvania. You can imagine some of their legends. Being a fan of the original Bram Stoker's Dracula and having spent time in Eastern Europe (if on the other side of the Black Sea, literally), I was very interested. Plus I like her stuff. I've been trying to borrow the book from my mother for a couple of months now, but my older sister, Muscles, got it first. Than Darpa, her husband, got it (pesky married couples!) so I had to wait. Fortunately our library had it this last time around and I picked it up, even though I wasn't planning on getting anything (I had enough other books to read first). However, I got sucked in and wrapped it up last night - within 72 hours or so of starting it. While that is slow in some ways, considering I have four other books I'm working my way through, it says something that I jumped straight to this one. I was not disappointed.

Plot: Dacia and Lou are cousins whose fathers are from upper crust New York and whose mothers are from a very, very old Romanian family. They are both on their way to Romania for the first time, Dacia by boat and Lou riding the Oriental Express from Paris. It is nearing the turn of the 20th century and Bucharest is known as "Little Paris" and is one of the jewels of Europe. However, Dacia and Lou are not there to enjoy the sights, they are there to learn about who they are and the tradition they bear. For two proper young ladies from cosmopolitan New York they have an awful lot to learn about what it means to have family connections.

My personal favorites: The format was great - the story was told from both of the girls' points of view as well as through letters, newspapers, and diary entries. It hearkened back to the original Dracula but also allowed for suspense and tension from the POV points. I also liked the characters and the way they developed. I thought found it plausible and believable. The story also kept me guessing, even tough it seemed like I should be able to guess where it was going.

Considerations: While some of George's other books (the Castle Glower books and I would also say the Dragon books) are more middle grade, Silver in the blood is more young adult. There is a little language, blood and violence, and rather nasty villain of the "do this or I make you watch your loved ones suffer" variety. With that said, I found nothing objectionable to a young teen .

Again, I really enjoyed the book. It was exciting, suspenseful, intriguing, and of course it was romantic. I mean that in the classical, literal sense. Since Romania takes it's name and language from ancient Rome. "Roman"-tic. (sigh).

The total length was just over 350 pages.

Silver Window in a Pitch Black Wall

Silver window in a pitch black wall

Silver window in a pitch black wall
Letting in the light of another world.
What can you see?

Mercury light radiating from the depths
Calling me to look into the beyond.
What will I see?

Radiant harmony and calm and peace
Shinning as a beacon for those who observe.
Where do you lead?

The maiden. The wolf. The dreamer. And me.
Your court. Your gang. Your admirers Your children.
Lead on and we follow.

Daniel M. Allred
Oct 27 / 2015

Cornbellys and Missionary updates

This last weekend my family went to visit some friends that live by Thanksgiving Point. It's been a while since we've seen them and it was the first time we were able to get the kids together in a while. They've got three boys all between the ages of Tigger and Roo. Yes, they are very close in age. No, that was not intentional. All three boys are energetic and are pretty decent kids. I was glad that Kanga was able to enjoy herself being the oldest and the only girl. Our friends invited us down to Cornbelly's, which is basically a huge fair for kids and families. They had playgrounds everywhere, fair games, two mazes and a giant pit of corn kernels. We spent the majority of the day there and then went back to their house for dinner. It was a lot of gun to catch up with them and we've already planned our next activity up by us in a couple of months.

The day itself was long but very good. It's along drive from Brigham to Lehi, the kids enjoyed playing in the back and listening to music. I debated bringing the DVD player, but I don't like using it for trips under a couple of hours. We visited for a while before heading over, getting caught up on our respective goings on. Once there, I was impressed with how big Cornbelly's was. There where lots of little kids running around and there was playground stuff everywhere. Everything was made of wood, hay, and corn. We enjoyed some games, a long time at one of the larger playgrounds, and the smaller of the two mazes. We decided to stop for lunch at that point and so I went out to the car to grab ours. Due to our early arrival they weren't able to put together a lunch, so they bought some at the various food trucks. We all ended up sharing our lunches in what resulted in a demonstration of young children with particular tastes and a lack of fine motor control. After lunch the mothers took the three youngest children home for naps and Coach and I took the three oldest to  Corn Cob Beach, the giant corn pit. It wasn't too crowded and we enjoyed a good chat while the kids played. After a bit it started to rain so we joined them under the big tent that covered the corn pit. We continued chatting and playing with the kids for quite a while before deciding to try the big corn maze. We didn't make it our the front of the maze, but that was because it started raining a bit harder and we didn't have jackets with us (they were in the car) so we sneaked out the back. Before heading back to our friends Coach took us to a new drink place called The Fiz. We grabbed specialty drinks for a very decent price and then headed back for dinner. We left not long after dinner so we could drive back up in time for the kids to go to bed on time. All in all it was a lot of fun.

This weekend we also saw my in-laws and got to hear some news from Elder Chuuk, my brother-in-law. He is currently servicing a religions service missions in the Micronesia Guam mission and has been assigned to the islands of Chuuk.

Just for reference, his mission headquarters is in Guam,

which is over 600 miles away. Once a month he travels to Guam to receive mail and to send E-mail to all of us. Needless to say, we are always excited when we get letters from Elder Chuuk. He is doing well and realizing some things about himself and his life before mission that make us glad. It sounds like he is enjoying his experiences but does seem to miss sweets. Madre says that every letter has a request for something sweet. He sleeps on the floor, doesn't have any electricity, and the bathroom is a closet with a hole in the floor. I should point out that this is the new island he is on, his last area had electricity and a bucket for a shower. But he tells us that he is enjoying himself. He certainly have some challenges that I didn't have. It brought back memories and I hope I was able to share my thoughts accurately in my letters to him. I need to be more faithful in writing and sending letters. He's been out for about three months now and we miss him a lot.

Audible Book Review - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most well known stories in the world. Written just over 200 years ago, it still strikes a chord in audiences today. I've read the story (both the original and the one with zombies), seen two period versions of the movie, one contemporary version, and one movie based on it. In fact, just this week my wife and I had a getaway and watched the five hour version while we were gone. While we were watching it, I wondered at the how the story has continued on for so long and been so universally received. When you look at the particulars, I would wager that most modern readers don't understand the significance of the Bennett's position. For instances Lady Catherine de Bourgh rants about Elizabeth's uncles and aunts and other relations, and her lack of "connections." I don't know if even I fully appreciate what that meant when Austin wrote it. The intricate social nuances that were a part of that era's manners and such are not the same as the more causal social norms we have now. With that said, I think that Austin's content, the details of which may be unfamiliar to modern readers, is such that it speaks to universal concepts of love, shame, pride, and, well, prejudice. The other Austin books that I've read and own videos of, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion, are similar in this application of universal themes. Here is a link to the Audible page for the book. It was narrated with great skill by Carolyn Seymour.

Plot: The Bennett sisters (five in all) are varied in their differences. Jane, the eldest, is kind, tender, and very beautiful. Elizabeth is witty, if cynical, but also considered a local beauty. Mary is sever, introverted, and a tad plain. Kitty and Lydia are both impulsive, rather silly and delight in society. Lydia, although being the younger, tends to be the one that directs their paths. Their mother is anxious to get them all married off, particularly since their father's estate will, upon his death, revert to a distant cousin. The action begins when a single young man of independent wealth moves into the neighborhood. He brings with him a friend who is also single and far more wealthy. What's more, Mr. Bennett's cousin seeks to "heal the breach" between himself and his fair cousins from whom he will inherit. To top it off, the militia is in the area and officers make very dashing husbands. With all of the choices available is there any way this can go wrong?

My personal favorites: Mr. Bennett is my favorite character. I can see myself in him a bit - and that is not always a good thing. The character interactions are fantastic and their personalities feel real and unique. While considered the epitome of "chick lit" I know of several men who enjoy the story as the character drama it is.

Considerations: As I mentioned above, some details may not be as significant to modern readers, particularly younger ones, so I would suggest this as a mid young adult read. Beyond that there is nothing promiscuous or of questionable content.

It was a great listen and I'm glad to have it in my audio library. The total length was 11 and half hours.

Book Review - Vatta's War Series by Elizabeth Moon

The last of the first set of borrowed book from Dad. Vatta's War consists of five books: Trading in Danger, Marque and Reprisal, Engaging the Enemy, Command Decision, and Victory Conditions. These are military sci-fi with a good dose of intrigue and character drama. Dad recommend them since I enjoyed Honor Harrington and I'll agree that the two feel similar. I would have to say that a big chunk of that similarity comes from the strong, competent female lead, but there was a lot that was different about them too. For instance Honor Harrinton is a mature, up through the ranks officer while Ky Vatta got never graduated from the academy (not from lack of trying) and is young and impulsive. In short, so as to keep this from being an unnecessary comparison of two excellent worlds, I liked both of them a lot and they are quite different. There are a lot of good things I want to put in the personal favorites section.

Plot: Ky Vatta is the daughter the CEO of widely successful Vatta Enterprises. A family owned and operated shipping company, Vatta is widely respected across interstellar trade routes. Ky, however, is more interested in joining the Spaceforce than in running cargo or sitting behind a desk. That all comes crashing down when she gets kicked out of the Academy. Sent by her family to run an old ship to the scrapyard, Ky is not looking forward to the quite life of a trader. Unfortunately, fate has a way of giving people exactly what they ask for but don't want. Ky's first "milk run" of a trade attempt lands her in the middle of a civil war. While Ky is able to address the challenge and rise above it, fate has much more in store. When her family is attacked and interstellar communications go down Ky decides to put her training to good use. While Vatta started out as the victim Ky intends to make them the avenger.

My personal favorites: There are lots of good characters and great situations that they have to work through. Moon does a good job at keeping the tension going without it feeling overdone. All of the conflicts felt authentic and believable. Ky is a bit of a loose cannon (at first) and grows through her challenges well. The character dramas between the players felt real as well and provided a great context to the over-arching challenges the characters faced. The action was well done and there was some great stand up and cheer moments. I also liked how the characters had their own competencies and weaknesses and how they all played off each other. I was surprised by the direction the story, or elements of the story went at times and wasn't disappointed at all.

Considerations: There is violence, but nothing graphic or gratuitous. And there were some sexual references, but again, nothing overt, graphic, or explicit. There was not any strong language used and the writing was age appropriate for late young adult. In a final comparison with Honor Harrington, these books are lightly more appropriate for a younger audience.

I'm always a little anxious when starting a new series, worried that I'll be able to get into it and will find it enjoyable. The series starts off quickly and just keeps going, ramping up the challenges without leaving you feeling burned out. Trading was just over 300 pages, Marque was about 400, Engaging was just over 400, Command was just under 400, and Victory was just over 400.

Happenings of this last week

This last week had some highlights. Monday the Fire Department had an open house with demonstrations and exhibits of various tools and safety measures. While Kanga and Angel stood in line for the crash simulator Tigger, Roo, and I went and watched the heavy rescue workers turn a pick up truck into a door-less convertible (jaws of life demonstration). Tigger wasn't sure if he wanted to watch the demonstration and kept his ears covered for the majority of it. Whenever he is scared, he covers his ears. His grandmother things that he may be sensitive to loud noises. However, despite having his ears firmly covered he watched with rapped attention and, in the end, told me that he thought it was pretty cool. They also got a tour of an ambulance and a medical lift helicopter. The 'copter was smaller than the one that Tigger rode in when he was born, but it was still pretty neat. They also had some folks from the power company there showing why you don't touch power lines.

Wednesday found Angel, Tigger, and me at Primary Children's Hospital. For various reasons, including his being born early, Tigger was not circumcised when he was born. We've been able to trace some of his potty training difficulties to this and so we decided that it would help him if we did it now. He was a great patient and even woke up form the general anesthetic if a good mood, contrary to what was expected. We spent most of the day there checking him in, waiting for the doctor, waiting for the procedure, and then waiting for his meds. I think we were there for about eight hours when all was said and done. We had dinner at Angel's parent's house and Tigger was back to running around before too long. No, I don't have any pictures from Wednesday.

Saturday I got the lawn mowed - I would like to think for the last time this season. The apples are looking better and I'm thinking I may get some applesauce canned next weekend during General Conference. Angel went over to her mom's for the Women's General Broadcast while I watched the kids. I was just getting ready to start working on dinner when I got a text from some friends inviting the kids and I over for dinner and games. They had a bunch of left overs from a couple of birthday parties and I brought chips. Their kids line up pretty well with ours and so we dads (there were three of us fathers there) didn't have to do much. The kids were well behaved and everyone had fun. Dee came home just after we did and said she enjoyed the broadcast quite a bit.

Yesterday, we saw Angel's grandparents and chatted with them for a while. Her grandfather had a pretty sever stroke a little while ago and while he's recovering well he's starting to show his age a lot more. It was good to see them and Malcom was good for them. He was very content to sit on his great-grandfather's lap and be held. He's a pretty decent kid who goes really quiet when he's not sure what's going on.

Audible Book Review - Dune by Frank Herbert

I'm getting caught up on book reviews, as you can probably tell. I'm also in the middle of a series and am waiting until the end to review it. If I followed my past model (reviewing each book as it comes out) I would have to write two more book reviews. Dune is the second to last Audible review I will do for the present. I have one more book I pre-ordered coming at the end of October so I'll get to that one when I can. Dune is one of my favorite books. Considered one of the outstanding landmarks in the sci-fi genre, my father suggested it to me when I was in high school. There are a lot of books in the series, but I have only read the first book, and I'm okay with that. The book had a full cast, but did not always use it. The chief narrator was Scott Brick, who read the sections that were none dialog and limited dialog. The full cast was utilized for sections that had excessive dialog, particularly those without dialog tags, where two people are talking rapidly back and forth. There were also sound and music cues that were very effective at providing atmosphere and ambiance. I'm not surprised the production won a Audie award in 2008. I liked the different voices cast for the characters. Baron Harkonnen was particularly good.

Plot: Arrakis, Dune, is a planet of sands and Spice. The chemical Melange, known as Spice, is critical for interstellar travel. It is beyond important. It is essential to the present and future of the empire. But any Spice mining draws the justifiably feared Makers, sand worms so large they can eat factories whole. What's more, Dune is so dry that water of all kinds is richly cherished, so much so that when someone dies the water is reclaimed from their bodies prior to burial. Paul Atredies, the son and heir of Duke Leto, comes to Dune as a young man when the emperor grants his family the fiefdom of Dune. The previous rulers, House Harkonnen, House Atredies' rival, nemesis, and greatest threat, sought to subjugate the natives through force and violence. But Leto seeks to alley himself with the natives - the Fremen. These desert nomads grow up in the most harsh conditions in the galaxy. If he is successful, he will have the finest worriers imaginable - more fierce than the Emperor's terror troops. So it is no surprise that there is a trap waiting for Paul and his family, set to wipe them out. However, Paul and his father know that the first step of defeating a trap is knowing that it's there...

My personal favorites: Dune has got all the hallmarks of sci-fi, inventive technologies, strange cultures, intriguing alien creatures, new societies, and then it throws in a chunk of political and religious intrigue. One of Dune's motto's is "plans within plans, within plans, and it's important to remember than as you listen to it. The character's are great and the depth of the conflicts is captivating. The book is over 20 hours long, but it didn't feel like it. There are moments of reflection as well as moments of action. And let's face it, the idea of riding a sand worm is just awesome.

Considerations: In terms of descriptions there is nothing that I would object to a young teen reading. There is nothing graphic or gratuitous in the writing. The only consideration is the steep learning curve and the more adult level intrigue and themes. As I stated at the beginning, I was in high school when I read the book.

I try to re-read this book every couple of years, but because it's a great story with good intrigue and characters that I love. I'm glad to have it as part of my audio library now as well, particularly since the production is very good. The total length was just over 20 hours.

Catching up

It's been a while since I posted. School has started and Kanga and Tigger are going to the same school know. For Peach Days they had a float with the school kids for the kid parade and Kanga hadn't had a chance to do it in previous years. I drove in to work so I could be home sooner and we got them loaded on the tractor trailer and they had fun. We gave Kanga a two-way radio so we could keep track of her and she had a little too much fun with it. They're behind the American flag.

We also celebrated Roo's and Angel's birthdays. He hasn't started walking yet, but he's getting bolder.  He is a delight most of the time, but he has gotten particular about how he sleeps. People talk about having a routine with your kids and he is so insistent on his that he won't go to bed any other way. He can be very funny when he is tired though.

 As per the tradition, I handed out the Lion House Cakes and Cupcakes book and Angel choose what I was going to make. Roo couldn't communicate what he wanted (and he might have shredded the book) so when Angel couldn't make up her mind between a couple, I just made one of her options into cupcakes. A co-worker asked if the the recipes in the Lion House book were difficult or complex. Not really. A lot of them call for a cake mix - Seriously. So Roo got devil's food cake cup cakes with whipped cream topping (I was also supposed to put toffee pieces on it, but figured he wouldn't notice if they weren't there). Angel, on the other hand got a chocolate cheesecake with Oreo cookie crust. That wasn't a mix and I was right proud of it. No picture of the cheese cake, I was too busy eating it every time it came out.

This Saturday, I was very domestic. I made pear honey - an equal mix of pear, pineapple, and sugar cooked until golden (in color) and bottled. The pears were from our own tree. I'm pretty bad at getting them when they are all ripe but the process softens up any of the harder ones. I worked on them all day, listening to an audio version of Pride and Prejudice, It was a good production and made the time go by a little quicker. After I ran the first batch I realized that I didn't have enough pint jars to process it all. I called a few people who we've swapped jars with in the past and even had Angel, while she was running errands pick up an extra dozen. In the end I had more jars then I needed, but I had it all done. I went through twelve pounds of sugar and about about about the same number of cans of pineapple in order to process my box of pairs. But we ended up with over 42 pints of pear honey.

This is just when when I had started and realized that I was going to need more bottles. My own mother used to bottle green beans, pears, peaches, cherries, salsa, and applesauce. A lot of times she would do it while we were at school, so I don't remember helping out very much. There is one year when she made it abundantly clear that we were going to help her bottle pears, no arguing. I wasn't prone to argue about helping her, but was surprised at her insistence. That's because pears are a lot of work. you have to peal and core them before you can do anything with them and they are a funny shape with makes things interesting. This year I felt like I got into a groove and think I found the best way to go about it. Wash the outside and cut it in half. using a vegetable peeler work right to left (I'm right handed) pulling the peeler towards you. Using the pear corer, which you can find in your local art/craft supply store under the tile of "clay molding tool" (shown below), remove the stem, core, and any pits or blemishes. Repeat on the other half. And repeat for the next pear, and the next, and the next, and the next..... You get the idea.

Amazingly my hand and back didn't ache like they have in past years. I made an effort to alternate sitting and standing at the sink and I was moving between the sink, stove and bath canner, which was on the deck on the propane stove. As I was in the the middle of it I told Angel that I thought that canning is one of the most rewarding work efforts you can do. It's also really cool when what your canning is your own produce. I gave away a total of nine pints to those that I borrowed jars from and still came out with over thirty-three pints. My dad, who introduced us to pear honey and gave us the recipe, said that it looked just like the way his mother's and grandmother's did which made me happy.