An Arkies Musings

We had a wonderful time on our cruise. We made it back home Sunday evening. I have been so busy that I haven't had time to post anything. We are leaving Thursday morning to go see the grandkids and have Christmas with them. Here are a couple of photos that we had taken on the ship. I haven't had time to go through my photos yet. GINA AND I ON FORMAL DINNER NIGHT FAMILY PORTRAIT Gavin enjoyed the karaoke the had on the ship. Here is a video of him singing Come Together. More to come later!

When I was growing up, Peanuts was my favorite comic strip. I loved Charlie Brown and the gang. In this short clip, Charlie Brown asks, "isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about"? Linus has the answer. Gina wrote a Christmas letter to include in our Christmas cards. I thought I would share it with you. Dear Family and Friends, It’s that time of year when we bring you up to date on what’s been going on in our neck of the woods. This year has flown by so I’m sure that we have been busy, but the year has pretty much been uneventful. STEVE, BERTA AND I IN THE BELIZIAN JUNGLE In March we returned to Belize with Berta and Steve. We had a wonderful time once we got there. A snow storm in Dallas delayed us one day, then thunderstorms in Belize delayed us another. If you are going to be stranded in an airport for 24 hours the newly remodeled Dallas Airport is a good one. We just made an adventure of it and had a good time. We had a great time snorkeling, f...

Last year we had a wonderful Christmas. Everyone was home for Christmas, my kids and grandkids, my sisters and their families. There were over twenty of us for Christmas. LILLIE AND AUTUMN CHRISTMAS 2007 We had a wonderful time visiting. It had been a long time since we had all been together. It was very busy and a bit chaotic. PHOTO BY JEANNIE AMOS This year no one is coming for Christmas. Gina and Mom got together and decided that since no one was coming for Christmas, we should go on a cruise. By September we were booked on a Caribbean Cruise over the week of Christmas. The cruise leaves from Galveston, Texas, and stops at Grand Caymen, Cozymel, Mexico, and Montego Bay in Jamaica. We are not quite as serious about it as Luther was in the movie, Christmas with the Kranks, but we have not decorated or even put up a tree this year. If anyone decides that they are coming home for Christmas, we won't be here. We will be in Jamaica soaking up the warmth of the sun.

For the last few days we have been having ice. Sunday the temperature was in the 60's and it was rainy. Late in the evening the temperature dropped tremendously. By morning there was a coat of ice on everything. It rained off and on all day Monday, and the temperature remained below freezing. By Tuesday morning there was 3/8 inch of ice on the car. I had to run the car for 25 minutes before the ice on the windshield loosened enough for me to be able to scrape a hole to see out of. I never had my camera with me, so I was never able to get any pictures. It was dreary and rainy, so I don't know if I could have gotten any good pictures. Last night late I went out on my back porch and took these shots. I hope no one was planning on sitting in this chair. Today it warmed up into the mid thirties and started melting some, but there is still plenty of ice around. I will be glad when it is gone. Ice, ice, baby too cold ice, ice, baby.

It's time again For ABC Wednesday . If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday , you are missing out on a lot of fun. V is for View. I really thought long and hard on the "V" post. View seemed like it was a bit weak, but couldn't think of anything else. Let's start with the view from the house I grew up in. For several years we lived in a house just outside of Erie, Colorado. Our house sat on a little rise, and we had a great view of the Front Range. A couple of years ago I visited the old place and took this picture of the view. VIEW FROM MY CHILDHOOD HOME IN ERIE, COLORADO When I was a boy, I would spend a week every summer at Glacier View Ranch. I always had a good time at summer camp. The last time I was in Colorado, I made a return visit to Glacier View. I hadn't been there since I was a boy. I was surprised by how much things looked the same. The view from the parking lot was just as I remembered it. VIEW FROM GLACIER VIEW RANCH One of ...

This week my wife Gina came across the legend of the candy cane. Legend is an old English word meaning "probably not true". Even so I enjoyed reading about the legend. The legend says that there was a time in Europe when any public display of Christianity was forbidden. No crosses or Bibles were allowed. One old man, a candy maker by profession, was very upset by this. He loved God and couldn't stand to not share that love with others. He prayed for God to show him some way to make Christmas gifts for the children which would teach them the story of Christ. His answer was the candy cane. The candy cane was in the shape of a shepherd’s staff to show them that Jesus is our Shepherd and we are His flock. Upside down the candy cane was a "J", the first letter of Jesus' name. It was made of hard candy to remind us that Christ is the rock of our salvation. The wide red stripes on the candy cane were to represent the blood He shed on the cross for each one of us...

It's time again for Sunday's Meme Sunrise Sunset To join in the fun go here This sunset photo was taken from the Grand View Vista on the Talimena Scenic Drive that runs from Mena, Arkansas to Talihina, Oklahoma. This vista is one of my favorite places. I don't get here for a sunset opportunity very often. Even though it is less than ten miles from my house, it is hard to get here at the right time.

Today, Cynda sent us some pictures of the snowfall in Baton Rouge. The snowfall was a pretty big deal in South Louisiana. Cynda went in to work late so she could spend time with the girls in the snow. THE GRANT FAMILY AND THEIR SNOWMEN Autumn loved playing in the snow. She made snow angels and threw snowballs. Her favorite thing to watch on TV is Frosty The Snowman. It is recorded on the DVR, and she wants to watch it all the time. She was so excited to get to make a snowman. AUTUMN LOVES THE SNOW Rebekah on the other hand was not so excited. She didn't like the snow. She didn't like being cold. She is definitely Grandpa's girl. I agree Rebekah, I don't like being cold and wet. I get pretty grumpy, but I usually don't cry. REBEKAH HATES THE SNOW Sally loved playing in the snow. She loves water, and snow is just a form of water. What could be better than the whole family outside with you. SALLY IN THE SNOW Who knows how long it will be before it snows in...

This morning I was laying in bed in the blissful state of almost awake but not quite. I new that it was just about time to get up, but I was enjoying the warm blanket and soft bed. As I was trying to get the courage to leave the warm comfy nest, I was jarred completely awake by the phone. Cynda was on the phone, calling from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, very excited because it was snowing. School had been canceled. I could hear my granddaughter in the background squealing with delight. It was the first snowfall with accumulation in the area since the late 1980's. 20 years without a snowfall. Can you imagine that. NEW ORLEANS STREETCAR IN THE SNOW, DECEMBER 11,2008 I have to confess that I hate snow. I dislike cold weather and all things associated with it. I can see the beauty of snow, but I really dislike having to work in it. I think that having to work in the cold is the reason I hate it so much. Fortunately we do not have very much cold weather here in Arkansas. SEVEN INCHE...

It's time again For ABC Wednesday . If you aren't participating in ABC Wednesday , you are missing out on a lot of fun. This week U is for Unicorn. While driving through the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center near Glen Rose, Texas we came across this guy with a broken horn. He reminded me of a unicorn. Some scholars believe that the sightings of one horned animals like this produced the myth of the unicorn. Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of the unicorn, which they believed lived in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. During the Middle Ages the people of Europe did not consider the unicorn a myth. The King James Version of the Bible uses the word unicorn 8 times. Unicorn horns were often found in cabinets of curiosities in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. They were most often examples of the distinctive straight spiral single tusk of the narwhal whale They were brought into Europe as a very valuable trade item, and sold as horns from the...