Comfort in Music

I have often found comfort in music. I have songs that I love to listen to when I find myself missing a loved one - especially my father. These songs aren't always slow or sad and often times were written for a different purpose. I have songs that I love which were written to remember a loved on and others that were meant as love songs. I find that their original meaning isn't always important it is often the music itself and not always the lyrics that move me. This past week has been one of those weeks where I have found myself thinking about loved ones who are no longer here and one of the songs that has been constantly running through my mind and the music has always moved me. I can remember hearing it as a teenager not long after my father died and it has always been one of those songs that gives me chills but also brings a smile to my face when I listen to it. I have included a rough English translation at the end of the post.
As I write this I am praying for my Cousin Mertin and his family as they are dealing with the grief of losing a loved one. I pray that they will find comfort in the arms of God first and foremost but that they may also find comfort in music as I have.



When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail;
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room
Where the sun is not there
If you are not with me.
At the windows
Show everyone my heart
Which you set alight;
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street.

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
Ill go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall experience them.

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
And yes, I know
That you are with me;
You, my moon, are here with me,
My sun, you are here with me.
With me, with me, with me,

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
Ill go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
Ill go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
Ill go with you,
I with you.

A Fathers Dream Come True!

I saw a shirt this week that said:
"My kid shot a deer while your honor student was at school"
All my hunting buddies will understand the pride involved with being able to wear a shirt like this some day!

Saying Good-Bye...

Today we said good bye to our pet house Rabbit - "Kipper"I've learned that goodbyes will always hurt, pictures never replace having been there, memories, good or bad, will bring tears and words can never replace feelings. Thankfully photo's and memories help us cope as time goes on.

Even though I am a man I tend to be an emotional person and I have found that I have a very soft spot in my heart for my pets. There is truly a difference in animals that we raise for food and those that we raise as pets - I know this as truth as I have never shed a tear over an animal that was destined for my plate but as I sit here typing this I am fighting back those tears as I recall the years of enjoyment Kipper provided me, my family, and all the people who visited our home - both young and old.
Kipper was a great little bunny and like most of our family experiences there is a story behind how we got him.

While we were in the process of building the house we decided that we would eventually like to get a bunny and decided to go and price out everything we would need and check out the bunnies available at the local pet stores. During one of our trips the moment we entered the pet shop a large white cockatoo flew across the store and landed on Ariel's shirt. It turns out the bird was quite mean and as it was clinging to Ariel's shirt it reached up and latched its beak onto Ariel's nose and began biting and clawing its way up her chest. I was able to get the bird off of her and then one of the kids working at the shop put it in its cage. Ariel was bleeding from her nose (as it had been pierced - something she might want to do when she is a teenager but not as a toddler) and when I went to talk to the young man working at the store he got me so upset I actually when to the police department and filed a complaint. The next day the owner of the store called me after finding out what happened to apologize. He asked if we were looking for anything in particular while we were there so I informed him of my plans of getting a bunny when we moved into the new house. A few weeks after moving in I received a call from the pet shop owner telling me he got a bunny from a local 4H member and he wanted me to come pick it up for Ariel.

Kipper was a great bunny and enjoyed spending time running around the kitchen, hiding behind the couch, and relaxing on the deck during the nicer weather. He loved when people would spoil him by feeding him goodies out of the treat jar and would run to the opening of his kennel when he heard the sound of the jar opening! All of us will miss Kipper as much as we miss Goliath and Britney as they were all great pets.

Movin on up - Just like the Jeffersons!

During my vacation the family and I took a trip to NY to pick up a coop I had ordered from a fellow BackYardChickens.com member. Alex and I assembled it and decided to give it a few upgrades, we installed a roost, a divider board for the coop/nest box as well as a vinyl floor in the coop, and nesting box as well as the floor of the attached run. We installed hardware cloth over the window opening and latches to keep out any nasty critters. I finally got around to leveling out the cement foundation blocks and moved the coop with Chip & Dale into it's permanent location (for now!) I considered attaching wheels to the coop and making it a chicken tractor that can be moved around the yard and into shelter during harsh winter months but I decided I can always make the changes later if needed.

Vacation Fun

I always strive to take lots of pictures when we do things together as a family but most of the time we are so caught up in having fun we forget that we even brought the camera! Here are a few pictures that we managed to take during my week of vacation - it was a valiant effort!

Vacation: Day # 5

Today was day # 5 of my vacation and we are all feeling much better. I got up and finished the chicken coop and moved Rebecca's spoiled little chickens into it. I threw out my back while working on the coop so we all took a trip to Dr. Curry's at Curry Chiropractic for a healthy spine adjustment. We went to Irish Bend Orchards and picked a big ol' bag of peaches. The kids requested a Peach Pie, Rebecca is looking forward to Peach Crisp, and I am going to grill some fresh figs and peaches with brown sugar and local honey from our friend Elizabeth! Of course we have already started eating some of them right off the tree! There have been Weather Advisories for our area that have been blaring on the Emergency Broadcast System so we decided to stay home this evening. We ordered Pizza, wings and a large calzone from Mona's and played Monopoly Jr. - Alex sent us all to the poor house and counted his money for us all when the game was over.

Vacation: Day # 4

Today was a rough day as we were all feeling the effects of our sunburns. I look like a freshly boiled lobster, Alex's cheeks began to blister today just below his eyes but the rest of his body is burn free although belly is scratched up from tumbling in the surf. Ariel is sore from the sun burn on her legs, Rebecca is the typical woman/mother who goes about her daily routine without any complaints despite the fact that I know she is hurting too. Rebecca went to work for the morning and the kids and I spent the morning laying around. I assembled the new coop and started installing all of my upgrades which of course required a trip to the local hardware store with Alex. I also decided to install the air conditioners in the kids bedroom windows as the nights have been quite warm here. Thankfully we are all feeling better and have a full day planned for tomorrow. Despite the reason for us all laying around today it was nice to just kick back and relax for a change. I really enjoyed listening to the kids banter this morning - there is nothing like a hearty belly laugh from a child to make you smile and brighten your day! Dinner was simple but delicious tonight, I cooked up a couple pounds of shrimp - Alex had his as shrimp cocktail while the rest of us had ours in a yummy peach relish (fresh peaches, fresh garden tomatoes, garlic, onion, ginger, fresh squeezed lime juice, all brought together with a touch of oil, salt & pepper.) Rebecca also made a nice stir fry of fresh garden veggies. Today seemed to go by in the blink of an eye as do most vacation days - hopefully the remaining days of vacation will be as enjoyable as the past 4.

Vacation: Day # 3

Despite only having 4 hours of sleep I was up at 5:00AM packing the truck for a trip to the ocean - I figure my employer doesn't require me to sleep so why should my vacation!
The entire family was up and ready to go in record time and we decided to get breakfast on the road as we had a couple of errands we needed to complete on the way. After a trip through the local Dunkin' Donuts drive through we were on our way. I decided against my better judgement and followed the directions provided to me via my GPS - I can't really complain though as it was overcast this morning so we weren't missing any of the glorious sunshine and we took in some of the local sites that I haven't seen in quite some time. We arrived at the beach and were surprised to see how empty the parking lot was, it was nice to park right next to the dunes and so close to the water. The kids were excited that they were going to be able to use their body boards. It was high tide when we arrived so the waves were the smallest they would be all day and we were able to watch how the tide phases affected the waves, water levels and beach head.
Not long after we arrived the sun burned through all the clouds and haze and the sky was clear and blue! (Well at least that is what I was taught growing up - for all we know it could really be orange!) By mid afternoon the tide was making its way back in and the waves had grown quite a bit, the only problem was that with all the fun we were having in the surf that sunscreen was the last thing on my mind. Needless to say I am now in pain, laying in bed with the shakes, and praying I will wake up feeling better tomorrow morning. I love the ocean and watching my kids (and wonderful wife) playing in the sand and surf brings back memories of weekends spent at the beach with my mother while I was growing up. Hopefully we will all be feeling better tomorrow as we have plenty of fun planned for the afternoon and evening.

Vacation: Day # 2

Well today was not as exciting but still a great day of vacation. We all slept in late in order to recuperate from yesterdays trip to the amusement park. I finally got up and finished mowing the lawn and completed a few chores around the yard. After a hearty breakfast of fresh eggs straight from the chicken coop we took a trip into town and went shopping to pick up supplies for the rest of the week. Upon returning home, I found out the coop I ordered from a fellow Back Yard Chickens member had arrived, so our evening plans changed and we took the dreaded trip to New York rather than going miniature golfing much to the dismay of both the kids. Despite the traffic caused by evening construction the trip went well and I look forward to assembling the coop for our spoiled bantams (Chip and Dale.) Well it is late and we have a busy day planned tomorrow - A day of boogie boarding on the waves and fun in the sand at a great Rhode Island beach, Hopefully the thunder storms will hold off till night time.

Vacation: Day # 1

Day #1:
Lake Compounce - New England's Family Theme Park

Today we got up early and headed out for a day of fun in the sun. We stopped at the Gold Roc Diner in West Hartford, CT for a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast and some creamy grits. After filling our bellies we completed the trip to Lake Compounce ready for some thrills and white water adventures.
I have to admit the day was full of surprises - I didn't think I would enjoy a water park full of strange people, I never thought Alex would go on a roller coaster that goes upside down, I never thought I would be able to feed the 4 of us dinner at the park for under $30! We had a great day and were on site 20 minutes after the park opened and left just before the park closed. I think Rebecca and I had just as much fun as the kids - the only sad part is that now that the kids have experienced big kid rides I don't think we will be making any future trips to Story Land - at least we have the memories!