Worked at home today . After a short run this morning with Diane and the dogs didn’t go outside once.. I didn’t want to .. outside the weather was going from bad to worse.. The wind this morning actually made us change our running route.. The wind blew throughout the day.. sometimes shaking the house ferociously.. Each hour got a little warmer until now it’s almost 40 degrees and raining.. Compare that to the average low of 8 degrees for the month. It’ s been really bizarre .. Friend Tim told me that he heard we’re about 5 degrees above average for the month..and it’s got to be one of the least snowiest winters on record.. I can’t recall having this little snow cover this late into winter. The ski places must really be hurting. Diane and I have had our cross-country skis outs only once and our snowshoes not at all. In a normal year we’d be out every weekend a couple of times.
Why’s it happening ? I don’t know.. we’re definitely in a weird climate cycle.. I do believe in human caused warming.. but I think that to be a more subtle long term effect on top of more natural climatic cycles.. but who knows..
All I know is that I’d prefer 15 below and snowing to 40 degrees and raining. Time for the snow dance..
(wow … did I just blog about the weather ?! Isn’t that one of the ‘never do’s of blogging ?)
Diane and I just came back from a memorial service for a man we never met.
Tim O’Rourke was the brother of our very good freind Jen (husband Tim, daughter’s Ave and Sid)..
Tim died suddenly two weeks ago while on a mission trip to Nigeria.. he was 53. He had a wife and two kids… . It was very moving getting a sense of someone from the stories and pictures we heard today. This I know.. he was a kind and talented guy.. an deeply committed to his family and his community musician who devoted his adult life to helping other people. Several of the folks he helped spoke at the service today.. all told the story of a guy who’d do anything for other people. He was a really talented musician who wrote religious folk music that we heard at the service. There was much music at this service.. some was from the liturgy, some was religious folk music.. some was just pop folks music. We saw a slide show of Tim’s life.. we got to see the progression of his life from cute kid to husband, to dad, to committed missionary in 5 short minutes.. The church in Montpelier was packed with Tim ‘s freinds.. many from his religious community. There was a strong sense of family there.. It was interesting and reassuring being able to see a little into a community that had such strong common beliefs. They have very concrete views on what death means.. much more so than I have.. I guess I wish I did have that.
The service ended with sister’s Avery and Sid singing an Irish blessing.. It was a beautiful and uplifting way to end the service..
It was sad and heartwarming.. and in this case inspiring to get a glimpse at soemone’s entire life in just 90 minutes. Our thoughts go out to Tim’s family, His parents and our friends Jen, Jim, Ave and Sid..
Long slow day here. Diane was at an all day program and gabe was at the mountain. I did odd jobs around the house for most of the day which was peaceful and satisfying. Around 3, gabe came home and we got started on our project for the evening which was making churros. Churros are a favorite fried dessert in many Latin American counties . We were making them because tonight was the inaugural meeting of the group that have and I are going to Cuba with next year .
The process of making churros is pretty. Easy. Its an egg and flour dough. You load the dough into a cookie press or icing bag and squirt it into hot oil. When theyre done youd take them out and roll them in sugar .
I even made a samstone out of churros
Gabe put a dish of homemade dulce de. Leche in the middle and we were good to go.
We went over to sr. Dutchers house to meet the other Cuba bound kids. It was a good first meeting. Were really looking forward to that trip !
One Nonas was a chance to see sr. Dutchers son zachs metal shop ! He has a. 60 year old mill and large. So cool !
Ok thats it for the day. More tomorrow.
Nite all, nite Sam
-me
just back from a really nice quiet dinner from jen and tim’s.. Diane has the last Harry Potter movie queued up to watch.. so I’m gonna make this quick.
Oh.. .. I know what I can do.. I can share some of the great photo’s I got today from new freind Buzz. He was at my show two nights ago in Monkton with a decent camera.. and captured me doing what I love doing ..
