Then I Saw Her Face...

A two hour "Squatch Party" at the Ward household went down last night (via the Animal Planet Channel Special "Finding Bigfoot"). Say what you will about these creatures, but I for one am leaning more toward their existence now than ever before. When thousands of reports are well documented, certainly, there will be nut jobs & creative attention seekers there in the midst. But the other 4,376 can't all be wrong. Furthermore, the Western Civilization was not made aware of the Giant Panda Bear until 1869. Shyeah...how do ya miss something like that? When I consider the fact that over 70% of the Earth is unihabitable for humans (Houston included), It leads me to believe there are countless places we have yet to adequately explore. The Congo in Africa comes to mind. The area today is plagued by civil unrest, which creates (am I boring you?) its own problems for easy access. Explorers also report great difficulty in moving even a few feet at a time through the punishing terrain while trying to combat thousands if not millions of mosquitoes (again, reminiscent of south Houston). The area I am told is enormous (the size of several Midwest states lumped together). There are reports from the natives of what we would consider to be modern day (don't laugh now!) dinosaurs still in the most remote swamps of the area. Well...why not? It's certainly big enough to house & hide such beasts. We know there are man eating sized snakes alive & well in the South American Amazon River region. How laughable & far fetched does that sound? Next thing you're gonna try to tell me is they've found snake like creatures in the ocean that actually omit electricity, or squirrels that fly! Not to mention we also keep discovering new species of Ape, Fish, Bird, you name it, every year. While you're rolling your eyes at me, I might as well add insult to injury & share with you my theory on "Nessie". I believe the legendary Loch Ness Monster was a Plesiosaurus but is most likely dead, or it moved on when humans began permanently inhabiting the area (as the lake was mostly undisturbed & quite difficult to find before modern roads etc. made it accessible). Reader: But Chessking, don't you know dinosaurs lived millions of years ago? Chessking: On April 25, 1977, a Japanese fishing boat pulled up a rotting...a rotting...ummm...a rotting one of these things...(here, have a look-ee see!)http://www.gennet.org/facts/nessie.html One would think the scientific community would be all over this. But no! As it smacks in the face of evolution, which demands dinosaurs dying out twenty bazillion years before Lady Gaga was doin' her thang. So alas, it gets swept under the carpet & intellectualized away as a "basking shark". Whatever, dude. The book of Genesis clearly says man, not dinosaurs, ushered death into the world. So how could things have been dead before the Adam & Eve show was in full swing? Reader: Now Chessking, you don't seriously believe we all came from one dude with his family in a giant boat with a slew of smelly livestock, do you? Chessking: I have a much easier time believing that, than believing nothing exploded, the earth cooled, rocks eventually grew legs, gave birth to gator like creatures who over 150 billion years gave birth to monkeys, then later great, great, great, great Grandpa (ooze from the sea, swing from a tree, & then there's me!). As they say on ESPN just before the big Monday Night game "C'mon man"!!! There are also countless ancient works of art from civilizations & tribes all over the globe that depict hunters spearing a spot on T-Rex. Guess they didn't get the memo from modern day text books that dinosaurs were gone long before we arrived. But alas, I digress. I could debate/pontificate for hours on this subject & Mrs. Chessking & I even have a hoyty-toyty theory concerning Bigfoot that I'm a hair reluctant to share. Perhaps that should be saved for my next blog entry as I have dinner to prepare & Pumpkins to carve, teeth to rot, etc., etc., Stay tuned, stay safe this All Hallow's Eve, & thanks for reading! cK.

Cold Pizza & Tylenol

In the wee small hours of the morning, I give thanks. I give thanks for family, friends, Church staff, Church members, Nurses, Doctors, (terrified of leaving someone off the list so I apologize in advance) who have offered prayers, hot food, encouragement, plumbing expertise (yeah don't ask), visitation, childcare, ground beef, time off, groceries, fresh fruit, pizza delivery, house cleaning, & so forth & so on, during this difficult season of life. Recovery has not come nearly as quickly as we would have preferred, but make no mistake, progress is being made. At the moment, I'm taking a break from practicing. Ended up raiding some leftover pizza from the icebox. Then I took some meds. Then I suddenly realized I had just consumed my favorite breakfast during my college experience-cold pizza & acetaminophen. ;0) So grateful for leftovers that I didn't have to prepare or purchase. Tired. Finger tips on both hands are burning from mucho practicing (as most of the time it's exclusively the left hand, but tonight even my right plucking hand is throbbing-a rarity I assure you). Turning in now...after being filled with satisfactory pizza & a heart of gratitude. Thank you God for giving me just what I need.

My Better Half

Feeling quite down this late September evening. It's been a "black dog" week (to quote Churchill). This entire month has been one pereptual kick in the _________. Unexpected surgery followed by elongated complications has left my household in a dark funk & out of sorts (particularly my oldest son who has had to prolong his birthday party until next month). And still no answers at this hour. Am thankful however for friends & family that have lifted some of the burden. I don't do well with waiting games. The unkown is frightening (particularly when you're creative with mucho time on your hands). Longing for my better half. Better days ahead.

I Heart Vi Hart.

All of these years I thought I hated math. But I don't hate math. I hate the way I was taught math. This extraordinary young lady named "Vi Hart" has opened my eyes. Better late than never I suppose. Perhaps my Father-in-Law was right all along. He has suggested for years now that I adore Physics & just don't know it. At any rate, hope you enjoy this video as much as I have.

Desert Rain

Was overcome by the cold downpour that embraced me this late Summer evening, as I stepped out to purchase items for my daughter's school lunches. By the time I made my way inside the store entrance, I was soaked. The greeter commented on my state of saturation, then noticed my peculiar smile in mid sentence. Others had stormed by me hoping to minimize exposure to the elements. Not I. I had purposefully meandered slowly through the seemingly gloomy drizzle with arms stretched wide at times & eyes to the heavens. After the worst electric bills in recent history, a scorched & barren yard, a vehicle that refused to keep me cool, & a broken home air conditioning unit that our landlord still refuses to repair, the hottest Texas Summer ever recorded, may finally be in the books. Yet for all my inconveniences, I still came out smelling like a rose compared to the countless Texans who lost their property & homes from this unprecedented heat. The longer I live, the more I realize how much weather drastically affects not only our dispositions, but our ability (or inability) to function on a minute by minute basis. But alas, as it is often suggested, "How can we fully appreciate the rain, without experiencing the desert?" So much to be thankful for this late September evening. So much indeed.

Give Us This Day

I suppose had you assured me 10 years ago on this day I'd be in a West Texas kitchen 10 years later making homemade bread & crock pot Chicken Noodle soup, safe & sound, with my daughter, it might have offered a small sense of hope or relief. That being said, there are just some things we never recover from this side of eternity. By all accounts, today is one of those things. I was doing just fine avoiding the commemoration until the Jets/Cowboys pregame ceremony. Bagpipes get me every time. May we never forget. Forgive us our debts oh Lord, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, & the glory are yours.
Now & forever.

Amen.

An Inconvenient Morning

Well kids, Sigh....1st day of school is officially under way & you will be relieved to know your favorite blogger made it through the drama without getting slushy. Nope. Not one tear. I waited until I dropped the last child off for emotions to get the better of me (just between us girls). We kicked things off this a.m. with thick, center cut prize winning bacon, (Am I boring you?) my scrambled eggs that are to die for, fresh strawberries, Braum's milk, Orange juice, & of course, "Fox & Friends" buzzing in the background w/ your host Gretchen Carlson, Brian Kilmeade, & "The Deuce" (Steve Doocy). At first, both children seemed to be in an elongated zombiesque state upon entering the kitchen with remnants of sleepy dust still matted to various facial features. The look on their faces quite possibly implied "You gotta be kidding me?? It's waaaaay too early for a wii tournament." What can I say? They are their father's offspring & at no time in my adult life have I ever been accused of being one of those overzealous early bird types who thinks work can only be accomplished during neat & tidy banking hours. Besides, Baby Boomers destroyed that posh work week model some 15 plus years ago. But enough about poverty ridden work weeks that lower life expectancy (on the bright side, Social Security wasn't going to be there for my generation anyway!). So long Summer of Twenty Eleven. Hello New school year. All that's left now is to pray for cold weather, Oklahoma football, & fall off the bone smoked pork ribs slathered in homemade gritty bbq sauce (where duh sweat off duh brow iz pawt uh duh ingredients!) carefully prepared behind Pappy's barn right next to that strange, large, rusted metal contraption with coils coming out of it to accompany that cold weather & Sooner football. Please & thank you.