Daeoin's Cabin

A poem

2007-10-05T21:13:00.001-04:00

My brother Jim sent a poem to the family the other day. I thought it was worth sharing with everyone.

Enjoy,
Dae

BACKWARD, turn backward, O time, in your flight,
Make me a child again just for tonight
Mother, come back from the echoless shore,
Take me again to your heart as of yore;

Kiss from my forehead the furrows of care
Smooth the few silver threads out of my hair;
Over my slumbers your loving watch keep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Backward, flow backward, oh, tide of the years
I am so weary of toil and of tears;
Toil without recompense, tears all in vain--
Take them, and give me my childhood again!
I have grown weary of dust and decay--
Weary of flinging my soul--wealth away,
Weary of sowing for others to reap;
Rock me to sleep, Mother rock me to sleep!

Tired of the hollow, the base, the untrue,
Mother, O Mother, my heart calls for you!
Many a summer the grass has grown green,
Blossomed and faded, our faces between.
Yet, with strong yearning and passionate pain,
Long I tonight for your presence again.
Come from the silence so long and so deep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Over my heart, in the days that are flown,
No love like mother-love ever has shone;
No other worship abides and endures-
Faithful, unselfish, and patient like yours:
None like a mother can charm away pain
From the sick soul and the world-weary brain.
Slumber's soft calms over my heavy lids creep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Come, let your brown hair, just lighted with gold,
Fall on your shoulders again as of old;
Let it drop over my forehead tonight,
Shading my faint eyes away from the light;
For with it's sunny-edged shadows once more
Happly will throng the sweet vision of yore;
Lovingly, softly, it's bright billows sweep:
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

Mother, dear Mother, the years been long
Since I last listened to your lullaby song.
Sing, then, and unto my soul it shall seem
Womanhood's years have been only a dream.
Clasped to your heart in a loving embrace,
With your light lashes just sweeping my face,
Never hereafter to wake or to weep;
Rock me to sleep, Mother-rock me to sleep!

ByElizabeth Akers Allen

One More Week/ and the Best Christmas Ever

2006-12-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

Well it's almost here. The anticipation is building. Last minutes thoughts of what you should get someone.

I always do that. I spend the entire month of December thinking, oh that would be a cool gift, and of I run to find it. I could spend three whole months shopping with the intention of buying gifts and not find a thing I would want to give someone. Let me sit awhile over a cup of coffee, drive around a bit, or be out in the barn shoveling 'paca beans, and I'll come up with the perfect gift for someone.

I woke up Friday morning knowing exactly what I was going to buy my wife. Mind you had have already gotten her the perfect gift already. As a matter of fact, that gift took 5 people in 4 countries to locate. And it WILL be a perfect gift. But, there's always these ideas. Oh and yeah I went out Saturday and got her the "Other Perfect Gift".

My daughter is getting harder and harder to buy for. Not just because she is getting older. Because of a "special" gift I give her each year. It has been getting harder and harder to find it. I mentioned once that I thought I would find something else for her, maybe she was getting too old for it now. I was promptly told that she looks forward to it every year. So, I guess instead of being too old, it may mean more to her each year knowing that it is getting harder to find.

My son, what a great young man. He has the heart of a giant. I asked him last month, "what do you want for Christmas?" He tells me, "Well I need some jeans." What 11 year old tells his dad he "needs jeans" for Christmas. We are by no means "wealthy" family, but we have a roof and food. My son, young Mr. Practical, would like to make sure all else is taken care of. I'm not trying to kid myself or anyone else, if there came a time when there was nothing under the tree, he would be hurt like any kid, but ... I think he would pick up whatever he had and give his Mom a hug and an I love you. He will be a big man among men one day.

Myself? Well ... I always get something special from them all. I get great, wonderful memories. Oh sure I get gifts too and I'm just as big a kid as anyone when I open them. I always seem to guess what my wife has gotten for me. Except one year. That was the year she bought my a digital camera. I had no idea that time. I'm sure it can be upsetting, and really I do not try to guess. It's just sometimes, there's the package, she asked what I would like. Right size, right shape, ... yep I know what it is. Now there is a bright side and a dark side to this for me .. First I will get something I would really like. Second ... I BETTER tell her something I would really like. From my son I always expect a flashlight. I don't always get one but I look for it. You can never have too many flashlights and I never think of buying them myself unless I need one at the time. So ... It's an understanding between us, I would always like to have another flashlight.

There is another story behind the flashlight present also. My dad always needed them too. So, I always bought him one for Christmas. I guess it's my way of feeling like my Dad if I get one now. Even at 42 I still want to fill that man's shoes. It's not one of those, "I try and I try but I can never be good enough for him" stories. It's a "My Dad is such a GREAT man I could never completely fill his shoes. But I will try to do my best to make him proud."

I promised that I would tell the story of the Best Christmas ever. I suppose I am running out of time to do it, so now is as good as ever.

We lived in Southwest Arkansas at the time. About 4 miles outside Wickes, Arkansas. It was our first Christmas after leaving Indiana and we had snow. A pretty good snow for SW Arkansas too. It was about 3 or 4 inches.
Well when we moved from Indiana, we had the car and everything we could fit in a small U-Haul Trailer. There just wasn't room for all our stuff, so thing larger things got left behind. One of those things was my bike. Now my bike was a beat up bike frame with decent tires and brakes. It had been through some pretty hard times but still rode great. My brother had rode it for a while when we were younger and I was too small to reach the peddles. So when I was big enough and it was mine now. That made it the greatest bike ever. But, it had to stay behind.

We moved at the beginning of summer and lived out in the county, so I spent a lot of time running around woods and fields.

Now came Christmas. Like I said it was a pretty good Christmas that year. My dad worked hard and provided very well for us. What I remember of that year I got a little pool table that was a big hit with all my friends from school, but what I has asked for was not under the tree. (well the pool table wasn't either but that was a gift from my mother and I got a whole other story for you on that one.)

But, it was good Christmas. A while after opening all our presents my Dad told me to come help him unload the truck. I didn't know what he had in the truck, it was before we started heating completely with wood so I had no idea. But, if Dad said, "come help me with", you went. And you did what he wanted you too. Not because he would whip you. My Dad never whipped me. But because he might. And no one wanted to be on the receiving end of a whipping from him. He wasn't a mean man. He was a man that you knew you should respect. You had to. Not because he told you too, you just couldn't help but do it. But, I'm getting off the subject here.

I followed Dad out to the truck and he dropped the tailgate. Inside was something under some blankets. He told me to jump in there and pull the blankets off so we could get "it" out. Not knowing what he had in there I jumped in pulled the blankets back, and there was the best looking red bike I had ever seen. It wasn't at all like my old one. No this one looked like a "Cross-country" bike. It had suspension on the front forks. A black seat that looked like a motorcycle's. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had only ever seen one "new" bike outside a store. That was Todd's 5-speed that lived down the rode from me in Indiana. This one was even better than his.

Dad reached in and helped me pull the bike out of the truck and then stood in the cold and snow for the next 20 minutes watching me ride it around the yard.

That's the Best Christmas ever,

Merry Christmas and God Bless to all,

Dae

Bless You

2006-12-15T07:54:00.000-05:00

This is a poem that was sent to me by a very close friend. Thank you.

God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Enjoy,
Dae

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I asked the Lord to bless you,
As I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you,
As you go along your way.

His love is always with you,
His promises are true.
And when we give Him all our cares,
You know He sees us through.

So when the road you're traveling,
Seems difficult at best.
Remember I'm here praying,
And God will do the rest.

=========================================================================

Here We Stand

2006-12-14T09:43:00.000-05:00

This is a short story I wrote the other day. You can download it from here. Let me know if you liked it, hated it, or have accepted a life of apathy.

Enjoy,
Dae

Secret Friendship

2006-12-11T15:04:00.000-05:00

Anytime we are around, the resident "Big Dog" does everything in her power to ingore the kitty. Of course the kitty, being a kitty, does everything in her power to pester the resident Big Dog. However, we were able to secretly take a photo while they were both unaware.

/sigh Kids and Pets .....

Enjoy and Have Fun,

Dae

Our Christmas Tree

2006-12-11T15:00:00.000-05:00

Just a picture of our Christmas Tree. I've got a little story that goes with it, but will have to post it later when I have more time. Until then, enjoy the tree.

Have fun and Merry Christmas,

Dae

I Wish You Enough

2006-12-07T08:50:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you all have seen this email over and over again. I know I have. However, "I Wish You Enough", has a very special meaning for me. I was able to share it with my father before he passed.
===================================================================

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

===================================================================

I love you Dad, a Wink and a Smile,

Dae

Angels in Strange Places

2006-12-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

This is a story that my sister Roxy told us about what happened to her daughter this week. A few of you have met Roxy on Live I.

Enjoy
Dae
===================================================

Hi, I just got off the phone with Amy and wanted to tell you about the call.

Amy works at EssenHaus in Middlebury. And tonight she was at work and she got called to the phone. When she answered the person hung up.
The person who took the call told Amy the lady on the phone just asked if the Red Headed Amy was working tonight.
Then at closing someone came to the door. The hostess unlocked it and they had bags of unwrapped toys and gifts for Amy's family and kids. Lots of them.

The person did not leave their name, just left the gifts and a card.
The card just said that they wanted them to have a good Christmas and that they wanted to thank Amy for making sure that their children knew there was more to Christmas than just presents. And she also wanted her to let her children know that God will bless them through strangers.

The only thing that Amy could think of was last week she had a table of 12 people and she was talking to them about Christmas and that this year each child would have 3 gifts that is what Jesus got.

Money was tight. So that would be how they would handle it.
Amy said all she could do was cry at the kindness of a stranger.
Isn't that amazing?

Roxy

=========================================================

You never know when you may be speaking with an angel.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

2006-12-04T09:33:00.000-05:00

My family is having a little contest amoungst ourselves writing a "Night Before Christmas" story. The story starts as;

"Twas the Night Before Christmas,
And all through the streets,
Not a creature was stirring,
But Little Old Pete ......

From there, we add on. I am posting a few of them here.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas,

Dae
====================================================

Twas the Night Before Christmas
and all through the streets,
Not a creature was stirring,
but Little Old Pete.

His gray beard was long,
his hair, it was shaggy.
The clothes that he wore,
a bit dirty and raggy.

Pete had no family,
no wife and no children.
No Mother, no Father,
no squabblin siblin.

But, Pete was not lonely.
Oh no, he was not.
He had many friends,
He had quite alot.

The bag that he carried,
held close to his chest.
He had filled through the year,
for the ones he loved best.

So through the cold night,
Old Pete, he did go.
Never minding cold numbness
of finger and toe.

First came the Butcher,
who's floor Pete did sweep.
For a pound of ground beef
and a dollar to keep.

Pete searched through his bag,
til finally he found,
the rusty old bell,
someone, had tossed on the ground.

On the door he hung it,
cleaned and tied with a bow.
Each time the door opened,
the Butcher would know.

Next came the Bakers
still smelling divine,
with pies, cakes, cookies and
many breads so fine.

For her kindness and friendship,
Old Pete, he did give,
A pretty box made of tin,
for her pencils to live.

On down the street,
on through the night.
Pete delivered his gifts
with joy and delight.

The cold wind was blowing.
The snow coming fast.
Old Pete grew weary,
as he delivered his last.

I will sit here and rest
Pete, thought in his head,
Then on to the mission,
for hot soup and a bed.

The Angels did sing,
that cold winter morn,
for many years ago,
a child had been born.

But, on this bright day,
Angels sang with much might.
Old Pete, who loved all,
has entered the light.

===============================================================

T’was the night before Christmas,
All through the streets,
Not a creature was stirring,
But Little Old Pete.

Down in the allies,
Where the cans are all stashed.
He made a good meal,
Of garbage can Hash.

From a wore pocket,
He found his last match.
To make a small fire,
On a brick he did scratch.

With all the banging,
And lighting of fires.
He woke an ol’ hound,
Asleep in a tire.

Warming his dinner,
In a can that he found.
Careful to keep away,
That mangy ol’ hound

Taking his meal,
And walking the streets.
He walked to a storefront,
To his very favorite seat.

Here the TV’s,
Were left on at night a lot,
And here he could watch,
While his meal was still hot.

Too his side,
That ol’ hound, it would sit
Hoping a morsel,
Of food he would get.

And like every night,
While they sat here together
Pete would drop some,
As he shivered in the weather.

‘Ol hound, he would move,
a bit closer to Pete.
Laying across him,
And warming his feet.

“Merry Christmas my friend”,
Pete told the ‘ol hound.
And together they slept,
On the hard frozen ground.

For Jordan

2006-11-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

Today I cry for a wonderful little girl. A beautiful child. She never met me, but I have been lucky enough to know her mother, and through her, have shared so many of great things Jordan has done. I have gotten to watch her grow from afar. While the hurt and lost I feel can never match what her mother and father are feeling, I hurt as if I lost one of my own. I have read so many emails about what Jordan has done in life. She has accomplished more than many people 5 times her age. God gave her the will and strength to go into the world seeing what was good. The talent and abilities to bring love and joy to others. She loved music. Today I will play a tune for her. My gift to a beautiful child. And I know she will be dancing.

I asked Jordan's mom if I could share an email that was sent to her. She was gracious enough to let me share it with all of you. I had posted it once, but thought later about it. It is a very special email. A very private and touching thing. So instead of keeping the email here just as it was written, I took the section that brought tears to my eyes and placed it as a poem.

This is from a young lady that had been a sitter and friend of Jordan. This is hers, to Jordan's family. Thank you Ashley for your wonderful thoughts.

====================================================

Painted Sky

You know...
I was driving home on Sunday
And just started looking at the clouds.
They were just so incredibly beautiful,
On this particular day.
It was right after sunset,
And still just a bit,
Of a reflection from the light of the sun.
They were orange and pink,
But so lightly colored.
They were long and sweeping,
And just ran together.
Like the imprints,
A flag makes in the wind.
Do you think that maybe,
When Jordan entered heaven,
God let her paint the clouds?
I bet he did,
On this particular day.
Swooping her flag around in the air,
Just like she did here on earth.
I bet He helped her paint them,
The most gorgeous pink and orange and gold.
They were just so beautiful Mrs. Tonia,
Just like she.
There's no way,
She wasn't the one,
Who painted those clouds that day.
They were just so perfect.
I was so comforted,
Thinking this.
It let me know,
She was up there,
Doing the things she loved.
And she was watching over us all.

Ashley

==================================================

Love and prayers to Tonia, Robert, and Robbie,

Jordan's Guestbook

Bail ó Dhia ort, Jordan

Daeoin Arlson

Done is Done or Vacation Time for Dad

2006-11-28T10:43:00.000-05:00

This is something else I found in one of those Computer Shoe Boxes. It was written the week following our Webelos Crossover Ceremony. I hope you enjoy it.

Dae
=======================================================================

Done is Done or Vacation Time for Dad

Well, Cub Scouts is done. My boys took their walk over the bridge and are now Boy Scouts. We had 4 of 5 boys continue on into Boy Scouts.

The fifth has decided to put all his attention into playing Tennis. It's something he really enjoys and wants to make the school team. We talked a bout it a while at the camp out and I let him know that I was very proud of him for making his decision on his own. He's a great kid.

The Crossover_

We went to a camp about 2 hours away Friday night and got our camp set up. We had been told this camp isn't used much and that it is for really "roughing it". We had no idea. When we arrived at our first camp (we had two spots reserved), it was a barely open area in the trees. Leaves, sticks, and various small plants covered the whole spot. The only thing that indicated that we were in the right spot was a sign and an old truck rim for the fire ring.
We decided to see what the other site looked like.
This site wasn't much better, but it was more open and had three truck rims. We decided this was the place to set up camp. Everyone started clearing areas off and got the tents set up. This went uneventful, for the most part, and we had ourselves a campsite.
Finding wood to get a fire started wasn't a problem. We just used the tings we moved to clear spots for the tents. After getting everything unloaded and settled in, (Dads had the folding chairs set up around the fire), out came the hot dogs.
It wasn't long before the boys had their fill and were off into the woods to explore. We had been told that this camp had a lot of swampy areas, so we cautioned the boys on this. As it turned the surrounding farms and roadways and been dredged recently and the low areas were all dry. The ground everywhere as still soft, but no mud was to be seen anywhere.
While re-arranging our supplies around the camp, (you never put it in the right spot the first time), the Camp Director came by to welcome us. I'm sorry I don't remember his name because this guy is a world of knowledge about his camp. As it turned out, there were no other campers on the road we were on and there were two more camps further up. Greg, (the Cub master), and I decided that we would go check them out in the morning.
The rest of the night was spent sitting around the fire, telling stories, jokes, singing a few silly songs, and eating. (Did I ever mention that we eat very well on our camp outs? I've heard it compared to a Baptist Revival.) We did hear several owls calling out in the woods around us. Around 10:30/ 11:00 it was lights out and everyone went to bed. (Except Greg and I, which is a tradition thing really. We sit up and talk about the day’s events and the next day.)

Saturday started great. I woke up about 7 am and got the fire going. Shortly later Greg was up making his world famous Camp Coffee. (Now that you know about the world famous camp coffee, I'm sure you all know whom I am talking about now.) Before long the rest of the camp was stirring and everyone was gathering around the fire. We did have one boy lagging, (yep it was Jory). So I got out the tinhorn and welcomed him to the world of the waking with a nice bugle call. He got up.

After a great pancake and sausage breakfast, Greg and I took our hike to see the other campsites. The first one I totally missed. Remember the one I talked about from Friday? This one didn't have the old truck rim. (I would guess that the third one at our camp belonged here).
When we reached the last site we looked at each other and said, "This is for the crossover". It was perfect.

As you approached on the road, it was right off on the right. You had a great place for all the parents and siblings to gather. In front of them was ... No wait; I'm going to save the description for the actual ceremony. You just need to know right now that this spot needed minimal work to be the exact spot I had pictured when thinking about the crossover.

I won't give you all the details of the day that would take book to do. I will say we had a great time. Hiking, playing games, telling more stories, learning knots, compass, and of course eating. We had hobo dinners for lunch (which the boys all helped preparing), and Greg's world famous Dump Cake. (Yeah this guy is famous for lots of things. But you may notice a pattern.)
We did have bits of excitement throughout the day. We opened my Med Kit more times on Saturday than we have for the last five years of Scouting.
We had one cut, and poke from a stick, a burn (adult leader), and a twisted ankle (teenage sibling to a scout). And I took some time to teach a life lesson that I seen in a movie. Sounds silly but I think you will agree that it is a good one.
Have each boy break a stick in two. Then break those, and those, and so forth. Then have him tie a string around those making bundle. Now have him break the bundle. When he says he can't, it's too strong, you simple reply, "That's family".

Around 8:00 pm we began gathering for the campfire and crossover ceremonies.
We all gathered in single file. We had explained to everyone that this was a very special ceremony and we had to be quiet. Greg lit his Scout torch to guide us gave the signal, (which was to be using the tin horn but I didn't do so well with it this time). We ended up using a whistle, and then off we moved toward the ceremony site. As we began walking you could hear a drum begin.

Reaching the site, we moved into position with everyone facing a log on which sat a drum, behind it was another log on which sat the drummer wearing a round top black hat with beading and feathers. This was Chuck Mulch (I hope I got his last name spelled right). Behind Chuck was the fire ring and behind that were four bundles of sticks standing upright in "Teepee' fashion. To the left of the camp was a bridge leading up a hill and on the other side was a burning fire with a Boy Scout Troop Leader and an Eagle Scout.

As we all came in and formed a semi-circle around the front of the log the drumming ended and Chuck asked us to be seated. He then moved to the fire ring. He stood over the fire ring arms raised high and asked the Lord to bless our ceremony with the Scout Spirit. He stood there, waved his arms several times and spoke more words, calling on the Scout Spirit to come forth. This went on for 2 or 3 minutes, (which seemed like an eternity at the time). You could have heard a bug crawling on the ground. The look of wonder was clear on the faces of Scouts and parents alike. Those looks changed to aw as thick white smoke began pouring from the fire ring. It totally engulfed Chuck. Stepping through the smoke his took the Scout torch and gave the fire life. (The fire was actually supposed to light with the smoke, but the chemicals fizzled.)

Chuck welcomed everyone to the ceremony and said a few words about scouting and the long road that our boys had traveled to be where they are now. Then he gave the ceremony over to Greg.
Greg got things going right away by having the boys lead us in songs. Everyone had a chance to get up and lead a song that they choose. A couple of my favorites were Purple People Eater, and Little Bunny Foo Foo. We were having a great time.
After the songs and a couple stories, Greg asked if Chuck would like to tell a story too. Chuck told the story, "Top of the Mountain". This is a great story that tells of several Indian boys that are sent out by the shaman on a walk. Each is to bring back something from where he turned around to come home. I won't do the whole story for you, but I will say, Chuck does it wonderfully.

At the end of the story he called me up to bring forth the Webelos.
As the boys came up they took positions behind each of the teepee bundles. I talked about how each of them were like one of the boys from the story Chuck told, then asked them to take fire form the Pack Fire to light their own fires. (This was to symbolize that the boys had moved on and were no longer part of the Pack and each now had a fire of his own.)

I spoke to each boy individually about the bridge before him being a choice. As I asked each if you would continue his life journey they each answered, "I will continue with Troop 745". I told them to take their fire to guide them. They would light their torch from their fire and cross the bridge reciting the Scout Law. As the reached the other side, they stopped and asked permission to enter the Boy Scout area. As each was given permission to enter he added his fire to the Troop fire. Adding their strength to the Troop.

After the ceremony was over one of my parents came up and asked to speak to the group. She had a plaque for Greg and one for me. They were plaques, which said thanks and were made by the boys in the Den.

It was a great ceremony and a great time.

The rest of the night was spent telling more stories, jokes, eating and singing. I even taught everyone the words to Louie Louie. (Yes I carry them with me always.)

I guess one thing to take from this is no matter what happens, it can always work out. Roll with it, move forward, and do your best.

Thanks for five great years. And yeah, I know there really isn't a vacation time for Dad now. But you know what? What's a vacation without family anyway?

Webelos LeaderPack 747,
Elkhart, IN.

Christmas/ Holiday Traditions

2006-11-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

Ok to start with, yes I know I said "Holiday". Well this isn't just about Christmas. It may be for me, and for many others. But someone out there that reads this may not celebrate Christmas. They may celebrate a "Holiday". SO....... let it go.

Traditions. As a kid I can't remember a lot of Christmas traditions around our house. The ones I do remember are sort of dear to me. I'll list them below, not necessarily in order of importance;

We always watched "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown". The other shows we always watched were Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is coming to Town, and many, many others.

I remember the smell of cinnamon Rolls and Fresh Bread. My Mom made the BEST fresh bread and cinnamon rolls. The rolls would have rich icing dripping off them, hmmmmm. I think I'm going to have to call Mom now.

We always opened "just one present" on Christmas Eve. Now I know Mom and Dad said this was to quiet us down, but I believe they wanted to open something too.
(This has made me remember one of the best Christmas ever. I'll write it later.)

I don't remember much about putting up the tree. I remember icicles. Lots and lots of shiny, foil, icicles hanging on the tree, and little toy ornaments. The toy ornaments were all over the tree. Toy soldiers, trains, a rockinghorse. So many different toys I can't possibly remember them all.

That for traditions is really about it. Like I said before, we didn't have many, but those we had are dear.

Now I have my own family. A beautiful wife, and two wonderful kids. And you still don't have real traditions. Now, when I say "real traditions", I'm thinking Bing Crosby Christmas Wonderland, (without smacking the kids behind the camera of course).

We put up the tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My daughter is rarely around to help with it. It's a fake tree. We've done the real tree for a few years. And well honestly, we just hate cleaning up needles. So we put up the fake one. For many years we would start by laying the piles of color coded branches out across the floor. Trying to match them up and moving a few around that we were "not really sure what that color was supposed to be". Now we have one that all the branches stay on. It's a much easy tree to put up, (but between you and me ... I miss the fun we had looking through those piles).
I always lay all the lights out on the floor and check each one to make sure they are all working. Last year I let my son help me with this. I hope it was a big deal to him, it certainly was for me.
After getting the lights on the tree all the Toy Ornaments go on. Some of these are the same ones that I hung on the tree when I was a kid.
After the toys comes the fancy bulbs. These are the pretty ones with pictures. Some have sparkling flakes so they twinkle when the lights hit them.
Around the bottom is the plaid fur trimmed blanket with the moose, deer, and elk embroidered on it. And the Mickey Mouse circus train.
And of course topped with a star.

Throughout November/ December the presents begin to build under the tree. Everyone, except me of course, trying to sneak a shake or two and guessing what it may be. My role at this time is to move the misplaced ornaments and adjusting the lights, to make it all look, "just a little better".

Along comes Christmas Eve.

My daughter spends Christmas morning with her mother, (first marriage), so we open all the presents on Christmas Eve. When my son was younger there were the Mom and Dad presents, which were opened on Christmas Eve, and the Santa presents which would show up magically over night and be real Christmas morning. These were never wrapped. Santa had no need for wrapping, but would often place large bows on things. (And it made for a nice picture). All the toys from the night before laid under the tree along with the ones that Santa brought.

Much of Christmas day is spent going to the relatives houses. We would go to each one exchanging little gifts and chatting for a couple hours. Each year we would get to Laura's (my sister-in-law), and she would have something for each of us. She loved getting gifts for people. Her eyes would twinkle as they were opened. She is going to be missed very much.

We always have a dinner of our own, even after the relatives make sure, "we get something to eat". We have Ham with all the fixin's. And lots of cookies and pies that my wife baked the night before.

New Traditions_

Is it ever too late to start "new" traditions? I hope not. Now we have a house with a great fireplace. I picture sitting in front of the fireplace on Christmas Eve playing my whistle while everyone sings carols. My wife baking those cookies and pies. My daughter will be married one day, (not until she's thirty of course), and maybe her and her husband will be able to be there too. Maybe I can get that team of Llamas I want and a sleigh. And one day there will be grandkids.

....AHHHHHHHHHH ..... Sorry, I must have dozed off. I started having a dream about being really, really old.

I know I promised to tell the story of the best Christmas ever, but I should be going now. I will come back and tell it, I promise.

For have fun, be safe, and Merry Christmas,

Dae

No Religious Tolerance

2006-11-28T08:07:00.000-05:00

'Nativity' Booted From Ill. Holiday Fair

When I started reading this story by the "Associated Press", I got really ticked off. Now that I am here writing something about it, I'm really sad. I'm not even sure anymore what I wanted to say. I'm sitting here shaking my head just like the guys in the story.

I don't think I have ever met someone of a religious faith that said, "You shouldn't have a right to display your faith or celebrate your faith". It seems like it is always these people that have no faith at all.

I have my own feelings and beliefs with God. They are my beliefs. I think people put too much "Worship" into the Cross, and Jesus.
Do I think Jesus is the son of God? Yes.
Do I believe that Jesus died on the cross? Yes.
Do I believe that he rose again after three days? Yes.
Do I pray TO Jesus? No.

I pray to God.
I thank God for giving us this wonderful sacrifice.
And I DO thank Jesus for being so strong that he followed through with it.

What an incredibly strong man he must be. I do look forward to meeting him face to face someday. But he is not my God. He is my brother.

Now that I have sort of gotten off the subject here, let me try to get back to celebrating Christmas. This is the celebration of the birth of my Brother. Do I know for certain that Jesus was born on the 25th of December? NO. And I am not certain that the dinosaurs were killed by a giant meteor. Plain and simple, I wasn't there. But does it really matter? This is the day that we have always celebrated it.

I do not think Muslims celebrate the birth of Mohammad. I will have to ask I suppose. But I do know that he is not believed to be the son of Allah. He is a prophet. Many believe Jesus is a prophet. That's what they want to believe? Ok. That doesn't mean I can't celebrate his birth.

What IF? (Isn't that the greatest question?) What IF, we decided to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Gandhi? What IF, I decided to place a statue of him as a baby in my front yard, or in a civic plaza? Would people riot in the streets? I doubt it. Gandhi isn't a threat to a non-believer. The name Gandhi doesn't make a person of "no" faith feel uneasy inside.

I suppose the reason people do not want to see images of Jesus Christ isn't to take my right away to see them, but rather to take away the uneasy feeling they get from seeing it. I don't think a rabbi is going to run through the streets screaming about a nativity scene. He is a man with a faith. The same, I believe, can be said about any other man, woman, or child which has a faith. A faith that there is something better. Something bigger than ourselves.

It's very sad, when the people of no faith, (even worst are the ones to claim one), will not allow others to celebrate theirs. It's a group of statues people. They won't hurt you. If you do not believe in what the nativity means to others, think of it as a large piece of Art.

Enjoy,

Have fun, be safe, and MERRY CHRISTMAS,

Dae

The Story of Sir Hobbs

2006-11-22T09:08:00.000-05:00

This is a short story about the great Sir Hobbs saving us from the oppression of corporate America.

Story of Sir Hobbs

Enjoy

Dae

Chat Rooms

2006-11-17T16:21:00.000-05:00

I saw an interesting comment today in the Live Ireland Chat Room. One chatter made the comment, “if I was caught emailing on here I would be shot, or fired, or both”.

Now there’s no doubt that many of us think the same thing, yet there we are. Day after day, chatting and listening to Live Ireland.
What makes us do it? I think I am going to give my opinion on why I am there. And then, if anyone would like to add a comment please feel free.

I do go to Live I for the music, but I have a large playlist of Irish/ Scottish music on my computer. So it isn’t the only reason. I go for the chatter as well. But why? What makes a grown man go to a “chat room” when he should be working?

Well for one, I’m simple not that busy at work. Case in point, check the time stamp. But that’s not the only reason. I could just as easily be playing EverQuest, or any other number of games. And there are thousands, millions of chat rooms all over the internet. Why Live I?

Simply put, the people. The live Ireland chatter community is one of the best groups of people I have come across online. They come from different countries all over the world. Different religions, different backgrounds. They all come to meet in this one small chat window to share their lives with one another.

Politics and religion are almost always avoided as topics of discussion. These being two topics that can cause so many problems. However, they do get discussed also. But when they do, most chatters will be civil and respectful of the other’s opinions and beliefs. No one being overbearing that their way is the right way, or even the only way. This isn’t to say that there are never heated discussions. Or that everyone is always wonderful. We have our moments. Liken it to a family dinner gathering. We may fight sometimes, but do not mess with one of us.

That being said, it is an open chat room, and as such we do have the occasional “troll”. These are usually ignored until they become bored and go away. Sometimes the tech people of Live I have had to “ban” an IP address. But this has been rare considering this is an Internet chat room.

I also must say that the people of Live I, the techs, and DJ’s are an incredible group unto themselves. The techs are very responsive to the chatter community. Even going so far as taking part in a community started blog site. Live Irelnd News
The DJ’s make the chatters part of the show. They ask for request, tell stories, share Irish History, and even go help others to learn the Irish Language.

I rarely go to the chat room when I am at home. I am usually busy there. But, sometimes, when I’m not doing something, I’ll log in to say hey. Or just to see who is there and what is going on.

So there it is I suppose. Why do I go to the Live Ireland chat room during the day? Because it is comforting. It’s very close to meeting friends at the coffee shop in the morning, or a Thanksgiving dinner with family.

Please feel free to leave your comments on this topic. If you have never been to the Live Ireland chat room please stop by sometime. We’ll be happy to meet you, and I think you’ll be happy also. Even if you are part of a different chat room, go ahead and post why you go there.

Have fun and be safe,
Dae

Another Borat Story

2006-11-17T08:18:00.000-05:00

Another person comes forward to complain about being "misled" by the production people of "Borat".

http://www.comcast.net/news/index.jsp?cat=GENERAL&fn=/2006/11/17/522751.html

Now this probably isn't huge news, but it does make for HUGE ratings. I for one had no intentions of seeing this film. That is until I started seeing all the fuss by people that were "misled".

Here's my opinion;

A film production company approaches and offers you money. You take the money and sign some piece of paper. Then you precede to make a fool out of yourself and get made fun of by people on film.

So what. You're probably an idiot to begin with and this is your 15 minutes of fame. Live with it and enjoy it. Taking the company to court and wasting the judicial systems time is just another attempt to have another 15 minutes and get more money out of the people that were obviously smarter than you. Your "friends" already know that you are imbecile and you do not have a "image" or "reputation" that needs saved.

Who would have thought that two Frat Boys would get drunk, then do and say stupid things? Well, I think you could throw a rock at any university/ college campus and hit someone just like these two fools.

As said before, I had no intention of watching this show before all the uproar. But now I think I may have to rent it sometime. With the silly lawsuits there has to be something funny here.

Good day all, have fun and be safe,

Dae

Ballad of the Green Berets

2006-11-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

I was practicing my whistle the other night, and this song just sort of popped into my head. I was thinking, this would be a great song to play on the whistle. Now I've added it to my growing list of "Damn hard to find" songs. It's not that the song itself is hard to find, a search will bring up pages and pages of Lyrics and Midi files. It's finding the sheet music for it that is proving tough. I've managed to locate it with guitar cords, but being pretty much musically handicaped, I've not tried rewritting that.

For anyone that remembers this song and would like the lyrics here they are:
===================================================

Ballad of the Green Berets

Fighting soldiers from the sky
Fearless men who jump and die
Men who mean just what they say
The brave men of the Green Beret.

Chorus:
Silver Wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret.

Trained to live off nature's land
Trained in combat, hand to hand
Men who fight by night and day
Courage picked from the Green Beret.

Chorus:
Silver Wings upon their chest
These are men, America's best
One hundred men will test today
But only three win the Green Beret.

Back at home a young wife waits
Her Green Beret has met his fate
He has died for those oppressed
Leaving her his last request.

Last Chorus:
Put Silver Wings on my son's chest
Make him one of America's best
He'll be a man they'll test one day
Have him win the Green Beret.

==================================
If I ever get some sheet music for this for the whistle, I'll see about making it available. I have a feeling this is one of those songs that Copy Rights are a big issue.

EDIT UPDATE__
As promised here is the sheet music.
Ballad of the Green Berets. This was done for me by a very generous friend. Thank you so much.

Have fun and Be Safe,

Dae

March for Laura

2006-11-13T12:50:00.000-05:00

This is a wonderful tune composed by Ferris for Laura. Thank you my friend, it is truely a beautiful piece and very touching because I know it was done from such a good heart.

You can download the song here. March for Laura

An Irish Song

2006-11-13T11:28:00.000-05:00

This was written by Thomas Campbell. I'm not sure of the title. I found it in a very old book of poetry and it is only listed as "An Irish Song". But I like it and am attempting to write a tune for it on my own. If I should ever complete it to a satisfactory level I will post it here as well. If anyone knows of this song and the tune to go with it, please let me know. It goes as follows_

"An Irish Song"

Drink ye to her that each loves best,
And if you nurse a flame,
That’s told but to her mutual breast,
We will not ask her name,

Enough while memory tranced and glad
Paints silently the fair,
That each should dream of joys he’s had,
Or yet may hope to share,

Yet far, far hence be jest or boast,
From hallowed thoughts so dear;
But drink to her that each loves most
As she would love to hear.

Thomas Campbell

Thank you,

Daeoin Arlson

Laura

2006-11-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Dia dhuit,

I wanted to post a thank you to all the Live Ireland chatters and the DJ’s of Live Ireland, the many family members that are spread across the country, and the many, many friends near and far, for all the prayers and blessings they have given to my wife and I over the last week.

As many of you know Tammy’s older sister has been doing very badly. At approximately, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov 9 th, Laura passed.

Laura had Friedreich’s Ataxia since the about the age of 16, and was 39 yeas old. Laura was an incredible person. She was very caring and giving to those around her. She had an obvious love for my son and daughter.

It’s really hard for me to describe Laura in great detail who she was. You would have had to meet her to understand.

When I arrived at the nursing home last night, the first thing I thought when I seen her lying on the bed was, “She needs a hat”. She loved hats. She had very pretty brown hair, but loved wearing hats. Especially berets. I think maybe, it was an artist thing for her. She was very creative. She had a large notebook full of poems she has written over the years. Maybe some day I will be able to share some of them with you.

Every Thanksgiving we would cook up a dinner and Laura and Jim, her boyfriend, would come over. The last 3 or 4 years, it became harder for Laura to get out, so we would pack everything up and take dinner to her. The nursing home always let us use one of the sitting rooms. We would enjoy a great dinner and Tammy and Laura would tell stories about each other when they were kids. Laura would laugh so hard she would almost fall out of her chair.

Many of the nurses that have cared for Laura over the years were there last night too. They held a prayer service in her room, and there was not a dry eye. Many of the nurses were girls no older than Laura. They took care of her not only as a job, but also as friends. Laura had that effect on people. If you met her, you loved her.

I also want to thank the great people from Hospice. They are such a wonderful organization. Thank you Nancy, for making Laura’s last days as peaceful as possible.

When we left last night Tammy gathered a couple bags that were full of pictures. We’ll be going through those over the next few days. I’ll find one to add to this.

As many of you know, Tammy and Laura’s little sister Missy had also passed from Friedreich’s Ataxia. The world is a sadder place without them, but the one thing we can all be sure of now, is Laura and Missy are together again. They are standing together, watching over everyone just as they did in life. And we get to share the multitude of wonderful memories they have given us.

Bail ó Dhia ort

Daeoin Arlson

Favorite Pictures

2006-11-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

Everyone has a group of favorite pictures. This is one of mine. To me it shows a bond of Father and Son. It evokes memories that are very dear to me. I hope each and every one of you have a favorite photo like this.

Poem .... MOM

2006-11-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

This is a poem I wrote a while back for my mother.

Mom

I am having a really hard time,
Putting into words, what mom means to me.
Where do you start?
With something like this?
How do you put on paper,
The feelings you have for your mother?
I do not think it is truly possible,
To reach that deep into our hearts.
Mothers live so deep within us,
You cannot touch them with words.
Can you really explain to someone else,
How she helped you through your toughest times?
Can someone also feel from words alone,
The Mark a mother leaves on her children?
I do not think you can.
Perhaps it is easiest just to say,
Thank you Mom,
Thank you for our lives,
And the influence you have left with us.
As we go our ways,
You are always there.
Deep inside,
Where words alone cannot reach.

Daeoin Arlson

Oro Se Do Bheatha 'Baile

2006-10-30T11:25:00.000-05:00

Well this is my first Blog. Whoohooo …

Actually, Ferris is forcing me to do this.

The topic on this is about a thread I found the other day on MudCat Café. It was about whether Oro Se Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile and What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor are the same tune or not? You can find it at this URL.

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=38159#1127626

The people on there all seemed very informed on musical theory and such. Which of course made me feel like I had no business giving an opinion on there. I’m pretty new to music.

My first response to this was, “I have both tunes in my song book, and they are not the same”. However, the rest of that night I lay in bed with first one, then the other running through my head. The rhythm of both is remarkably similar.

As I stated above, the whole music thing is really quite new to me so I couldn’t say if one was made from the other or not. I can tell you that I am now playing Oro Se Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile on the whistle. Just keep Drunken Sailor in mind as you practice, and the rest is easy.

There is also some discussion on the English translation from Gaelic.

Enjoy

Have fun all , and be safe.
Dae