Jake, Taj, and Rory, there's a heater under that platform, a perfect spot on a cold day.

We hiked to the stream before the storms blew in and met Lucy out for a walk. Emma slipped in a little on the ice, after I had warned her to come back in, mind you, ignoring me. She said she sure hoped Santa didn't see that because he might have really been worried. (Ha, she just didn't want to blow the presents!)

These were taken before the two big snows, on December 19th, it was so sunny that a lot of ice was melting at the creek. This buddha which we placed on the road in front of our house is buried in snow now with probably 6 feet or more.

CAVEWOMAN EMMA!!!!

This is something only an older sister would do to you.

Christmas Eve and all is well. Last night our neighbor, Bruce, brought down a ham, wonderful candied sweet potatoes, green beans, celery, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. We baked the ham and had a wonderful dinner with him, just the five of us. He was supposed to go to a Shamballa Christmas party, but it got cancelled because the plow was broken and there was too much snow blocking everyone's way.

Friday after we dug out we went into town and boy was it crowded, people were just emerging from the snow. The grocery store was being picked over leaving bare shelves. Two gas stations were totally out of gas, we went to a third because Dave had seen a gas tanker pulling in. But even after the library visit and the grocery store as we drove by the tanker was stuck in snow trying to get to the gas station and the driver was trying to dig it out with a snow shovel.

A lot of folks are complaining about the airport. I'd just like to say, hey, it snowed an enormous amount, you can't control nature, just respect it. At least they still had power, the people had toilets to flush and food to eat. Think about the folks who had to deal with Hurricane Katrina, that airport was a 1000 times better than the super dome. I am amazed that the postal service and UPS are working today, they didn't ask for the two or three days off from the storm, yet they are giving up their time. That is really the true spirit of giving. Same with the airport folks, I give them a big THANK YOU, it really makes you appreciate humanity, maybe it's time to stop grousing and count our blessings.

THE SNOW HAS STOPPED!!!

Actually it stopped last night in time for some blue sky before sunset. Our house now looks like a smurf house. Dave has been working so hard to get the driveway cleared with the snowblower and shovelling. I helped yesterday, but he's finished finally this morning. What a job!!!

MR. HICKSON

I wanted to write about Mr. Hickson because he is such an interesting and intriguing person. He's the girls' bus driver to the elementary school. Of all the bus drivers at the school, he's most like the one in the Simpsons.

The first time I saw him at the school talking to the principal I thought he was there for one of the drug talks. He wears motorcyle leathers, well usually just the black Harley vest and the black leather fingerless gloves and some chains. He has two long dark braids, a very bushy beard and it's not unusual for him to have a do rag on. Being somewhat counter culture myself I was really glad to find out he was our girls' driver.

He is one of the most conscientious drivers I've experienced. He has pizza parties for the kids on the last day of school on the bus. He gives them little candy treats or pencils for good behavior.

One day my husband got a call at work wondering where Ana, our oldest daughter was. I had come to pick her up early for the dentist and so she didn't get on the bus. He wanted to make sure she was safe and sound before he drove off from school. If there is no parent waiting at the bus stop he always waits to make sure the child is with someone that the family has given permission for. Otherwise he waits. He's stressed to us that he really wants to look out for "his kids", meaning our kids.

We had one Down's syndrome neighbor who usually fell asleep on the bus ride home and Mr. Hickson was always so patient about waiting for him to wake up and allowing his big brother to come aboard and make sure he arose and was safely off the bus before he turned off the red flashing lights. A bus driver like this is very dear to the hearts of neurotic, worrying type parents.

We seem to run into him often in town, at the grocery store and Wal-Mart. Usually we see him at the library on Saturdays, both his wife (who also wears a black leather vest)and I have often ended up perusing the foreign film dvds next to each other.

He has two sons. One is in Ana's grade and the other has moved on to middle school. They have longish hair. But I remember when one of them started wearing a white shirt and tie to school. It seems like kids always like taking an opposite stance to their parents' clothing choices.

My old boyfriend, the one in the band, used to be a school bus driver in the mountains too, in Evergreen, and I've always been appreciative of the fact that they can tolerate the noise in the bus and the bad weather, the curvy roads and early mornings.

One morning two kids in a car hit the bus my boyfriend was driving. He stopped and quickly went to check on their situation, they were both unconscious. He radioed in help and returning to the car found that the kids had a pipe and some marijuana with them. He said he threw them out in the bushes as far as possible. It seemed like the kids were in enough trouble all ready and after making sure they were safe he did that last little act of rescue which I'm sure saved them a lot more hassle than they already had coming.

A whole new world of music is opening up for me. I wrote earlier about finding Sirius on our tv satellite dish. Now with satellite internet, I'm really going to town. Last night I found radioio.com. What I really like is that you can find out right away what song is being played by what artist, then when you click on the search button, you find a Google search regarding that artist/song. You can then read the lyrics, look up information about the artist on Amazon.com, and visit the artist's web site. You also have the option of purchasing a download of the song.

Last night I was trying to play some spider solitaire while listening and for each song I had to check out all the background info. I loved every song. My solitaire games were taking a long time to complete.

This morning the selection isn't as remarkable as it was last night. I mean it's still good, but I haven't loved every song. So I actually have time to write a little without interruption.

It's a wonderful way to learn about new artists and to learn more about music. After reading Jim Walsh's City Pages column, http://blogs.citypages.com/jwalsh/, I started thinking how the love of music is similar in it's unification as is the love of sports.

One of the visiting Evergreen Philharmonic players had said to me he loved that his family could share the talk of sports over the breakfast table. I've not been into sports that much, I think because I was dragged to so many pro football and basketball and hockey games as a kid who was more interested in the concession stand and watching people.

But nowadays besides the sports lovers, there is a generation of music lovers who share their faves with each other and really get along because they have a mutual appreciation in common.

A couple of years ago, I worked as a waitress and one of my favorite activities was playing name that song or artist with a much younger waiter while listening to the kitchen help's radio. The music bridged a 30 year generation gap quite well. Now when I visit the same restaurant the bartender and a regular customer keep up the same routine.

One website I've read for a long time is iwilldare.com. Jodi, whose site it is, used to lament way too often about being lonely. I suggested a recreation volley ball team to her. That's how I met my husband, a group of pretty intellectual, relatively dorky friends would meet and play, drink beer if they wanted, most didn't, and then go out to dinner afterwards.

Jodi hasn't started playing volley ball, but she's met a wonderful group of people who share her love of The Replacements and Paul Westerberg. In fact she calls them the Westernerds. That coupled with her writing classes have turned her into a very socially active young woman. I'm glad she found people to share with. Even someone like me who really likes living in the boonies and treasures the peace and silence here, realizes that we need companionship to help develop our humanity. I guess that's why the Buddhists say that the sangha, or spiritual community, is so essential in spiritual growth. Music like sunrises and sunsets and the love of our children bridges geographic, age and cultural boundaries. I love that it, like any art, also involves human creativity. In that way we share a touch of divinity.

The kids are on winter break as of today. It worked out well because Ana had a snow board trip planned. We had to get up around 5:00-5:30 am so we could get her to the school on time for the bus that takes them up for their lesson.

Emma and I also got up along with Dave who was driving her to the elementary school. We arranged to meet him at the Village Inn for breakfast after he dropped her off. We left while the moon was still a silver sliver wrapped in foggy frost in the dark blue morning sky. As we rode down from our house the sky became resplendent with pinks, blues, magentas, reds and oranges. It was just beautiful.

I happen to be one of those people who loves to watch a sunset on a beach with a glass of wine. I really love sitting in the sand and watching the sun's exit. This morning was comparable, only the sun was rising. Emma couldn't believe how beautiful it was and has planned to wake up early tomorrow to take photos of the new sunrise with the disposable camera she talked me into buying her.

She said she couldn't believe that we got up when it was still night and the moon was like that and the sky was glowing with color. I've forgotten how magical that time of morning is and what a reward we receive for getting up early.

We both sat on one side of the booth waiting for Dave so we could look out the window and watch the sunrise fade.

We had to go on to the grocery store to get pet food for the dog and cats. As we were checking out a man in front of us was trying to buy a bunch of bananas. He was interesting looking with graying hair pulled back in a pony tail. He used his credit card and it wasn't working. The cashier came around from her register and retried sliding it to see if she could get it to work. It wouldn't and he had to walk away without his food.

I felt really bad and said if he's still around I could put his bananas on our bill. I ran out toward the door and didn't see him. The cashier said if she had some money on her she would have paid for his bananas. I kept thinking about him trying to buy something healthy and filling for not very much money.

After we checked out and packed the dog and cat food in the car. I was looking around the parking lot to see if I could find him walking. We drove out of the lot and I kept looking for him to see if he was heading toward the interstate for a ride. We kept driving and pulled into the next shopping area and drove back through it back to the grocery store looking for him. As we completed a full circle and were heading back out the way we had just left from, Emma spotted him sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the shuttle for a ride.

I didn't have any dollar bills, but I had two Sacajewea dollars that Ana had used to pay me back a loan with her tooth fairy money. I thought about those, and then thought about the two twenties and the ten in my wallet. We stopped in front of him and Emma ran and handed him a ten. I told him I wanted him to go buy his bananas.

He was smiling and thanked us and said he'd just gotten out of jail and his credit card wasn't working.

As we were leaving Emma said that that made her feel really good to help someone. It did. When someone wants something as simple as food, it's hard not to help.

After we got home Emma looked outside the kitchen window to see a chocolate lab that I had met hiking the day before. Apparently she's being dog sitted by a neighbor and must have followed Jake up to our house when he went out.

We walked her all the way back to the neighbor's, maybe a mile round trip. On the way another neighbor, Lucy, who just turned 94 was riding with her son on the way to town. They stopped and her son asked how we had taught Jake to stay near our house and not run off or after cars. I said I didn't know, he just must be smart. He said what a wonderful dog Jake is, and that if there were a hundred dogs Jake would be the one you would want because he would just be more special than the other 99.

He is a great dog. He's so friendly and playful and smart. When I first saw him with the dog rescue people at Petsmart I KNEW I could go up and hug him and he would act politely, which he did. He's been such an asset to our family.

The chocolate lab is still sitting on our porch. She walked with us to Adam's house and she walked right back with us to our house. Lucy and her son told us that Adam and Maxine weren't at home, so I left them a message to let them know that she's here waiting. She's one of those dogs that you can tell likes you. She's older, and has worn spots on her elbows and a little bumpy wart popping out of the fur on the top of her head. She really didn't want to frolic with Jake, no matter how often he would spring in front of her and jump away trying to get her to chase him. She just stuck with me on our hike through the snow and trees yesterday.

As we rounded past Adam's house yesterday after the hike, I stopped at the foot of his driveway and she paused and then started ahead of me away from his house toward our house. Luckily he spotted her and called and called and she trotted up the drive to his home. He has three or four other dogs and they were all barking. Just like they were today when we tried to return her.

Maybe she is our Elijah, coming to visit. Adam and Maxine are Jewish and I noted that the calendar says that Chanukah starts today at sunset. I think a seat is left empty for Elijah at dinner on Friday night. I don't know if it's on Chanukah or another holiday.

It's nice to have an animal like you like that. It's nice to see a beautiful sunrise. It's nice to help someone in need. Today has been a good day.

It was a busy weekend. Actually it seems like it started on Thursday when Emma stayed home from school because her stomach was bothering her. She thought she had recuperated enough to go to school on Friday, but alas, especially for the bus driver, Mr. Hickson, and Alyssa our neighbor sitting next to her, she threw up on the bus upon arrival at school.

Saturday was her friend, Ember's birthday celebration. But first Dave and Ana found the perfect tree for us after an arduous hike in the morning. Then we went to lunch at a new deli in Castle Rock, and shopped, and then met Vanessa on the road, and Emma left to spend the night at Ember's.

Dave got the lights on the tree, and he and Ana and I had a great time checking out all the Sirius stations on our tv from Dish tv, which I think are just a promotion, I don't think we get to keep them, but if so, all right!!! It was hard to choose what to stay with, we started with Christmas, then went to trance, then chill electronica, to jam bands, alt rock, jazz (contemporary and classic), found a good Latin pop station, also checked out skool, rap, boombox, and on and on.

Sunday morning we met up with Ember's folks, together with Emma and Emily, and had a great bowling time with 99cent lanes provided to us by Ember's parents for her birthday. It was the first time Al, Van, and I got to check out our new bowling shoes that Vanessa convinced us we needed to save money bowling. The first game I came in last and the 2nd, first. It had biblical significance, "the last shall be first". I think I relaxed a little more for the second game, since someone snuck in some rum and pepsi in coffee mugs. The men couldn't drink that, because they had to drive.

Then it was on to Abe's Brewery Bar II for Mexican food. Abe's, the originator of Kosher Mexican food, started with a restaurant in a questionable neighborhood on Kalamath street, BBI. A lot of downtown workers in Denver go there for lunch because of their excellent chili rellenos. BBII is near an upscale shopping mall in the burbs, right by the bowling alley. Such a dichotomy, but the food was still inexpensive and good.

We still had some little errands to run and then came back home and decorated the tree with Emma too, and of course listened to some more Sirius. Then it was the regular Sunday stuff, like baths, getting the laundry for the school week done, a light supper, a walk to the bench down the road to get cell phone reception to see if my prepaid minutes were applied to the phone and I became a qualified discount user. We don't get cell reception at home (or television reception), but we do have satellite internet now which is so amazing. (We had to get a faster service because Douglas County requires attorneys to do all court filing by internet).

Because it's winter, my favorite station, kunc, is not coming in without a lot of static, so now I can listen to it on the computer at kunc.org. Which I am listening to right now-- a sax solo which just switched over to the piano solo on a jazz number.

It was snowing when we got up, but now the sky is blue and sun shining at 10:00 am, so time to get away from the computer and get on with it.

this photo was sent from Las Vegas, Nevada, it's hard to imagine this much verdancy when we look out the window to snow, dead leaves and no green.

Dave and Ana climbed behind our house to find a Christmas tree. They had to hike way up, but said they saw some great views. Luckily there was enough snow behind us on the north slope so the tree could slide as if on a sled coming back to the house.

Knowing that the forest service has asked us to thin trees in the woods to help with fire mitigation, we don't feel as guilty to be cutting a live tree. It's beautiful and I thanked it for giving up its life, and I can't stop looking at it when I'm sitting in the family room. We still have to decorate it which is like opening up a photo album when we start unpacking the ornaments we've collected. It's kind of like the tree of our life.

http://www.seductiveshorts.com/#goods/quiz

I took the art of seduction quiz and came up with the philosopher type:

http://www.seductiveshorts.com/#goods/quiz