Winter in Colorado

Thursday we had a snowstorm here in Denver, and it got me thinking about how many people seem to think Colorado weather means snow every other day and low, cold temperatures throughout the winter. Nothing could be further from the truth. We get more sunshine than almost any other city. The first year we were here, in February, there was snow one day—sunshine and 80 degrees the next!

The great thing about the snow here is that one day it snows, and usually within the next day or so, it's gone. It's true, Thursday was pretty dreary, with snow coming down sideways most of the day. Offices were closed; school was cancelled; and traffic was abysmal; but you could count the number of days of snow this winter on both hands. Despite the mini-blizzard on Thursday, this has been a very mild winter, and we can use the moisture that the snow brought.

The first year we were here, I was shocked that people were out and about in shorts in the middle of winter. In Ohio, where I come from, there's no way you go running around outside in freezing temperatures in shorts, let alone bare feet. You can here, however. Our climate is classified as semi-arid, high plains desert. The dryness keeps the temperatures from feeling extremely hot or extremely cold, making this a very pleasant place to live (don't tell anybody—we're trying to keep it a secret).

The picture above shows me clearing a path to the barbecue. The following picture shows me clearing the back porch after a bigger blizzard a few years ago.

The chef has successfully reached the barbecue.

The chef preparing to begin his wintertime barbecue after a storm a few years ago.

When we moved to Canada for a two-year tour of duty, some wag told us there were two seasons, winter and July! I would describe our Colorado weather as follows:

Temperate, with over 300 days of sunshine, some scattered snowstorms and the occasional blizzard.
 

All in all, a great place to visit, and we do love living here.

Emet

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

It is one thing

to show a man

that he is in error,

and another

to put him

in possession

of the truth.

-John Locke,

philosopher

(1632-1704)

How much time do we spend criticizing error as opposed to teaching and exemplifying the truth?

What if every time I was moved to point out error I found a way to point out the truth?

The problem with focusing on error is that it focuses on error.

The beauty of revealing the truth is that it reveals the beauty of truth!

Should we not focus on the truth?

The word for truth in Hebrew (Emet) is spelled Alef Mem Tav, as in the picture above.

Alef is the first letter of the Alefbet.

Tav is the final letter.

Mem is the middle letter (including final forms).

Truth fills Space-Time from beginning to end and everything in between!

Error has not overcome it, so why focus on it?

The "Thought for Today" by John Locke came from an email newsletter called "A Word A Day" from the folks at Wordsmith.org. You can subscribe or just browse their site by clicking below.

Hannah and Her Horse

There may be something Hannah likes better than her horseback riding, but this is definitely toward the top of the list.

A is for Apostrophe

Well, it's been over seven months since I last delved into the dictionary to dig up some tasty morsels (the word "delve" derives from a word meaning "dig," don't you know?), so perhaps it's appropriate that my first letter back represents a gap, something missing.

Although its (not it's) usage is very straightforward, it is (it's) one of the most misused marks of punctuation in the English language. There are some very entertaining web sites on the Internet concerning apostrophe usage.

There are two primary definitions of the word "apostrophe." The first is the aforementioned diacritical one to signify a gap, something missing, i.e. missing letters. It can also be used to show possession or form plurals.

The second definition of apostrophe is a rhetorical device in which an absent person or personified object is addressed. For example, "O death, where is your sting? O death, where is your victory?" or "Death, be not proud, though some have called thee / Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so" or "O Captain, my Captain" or "O Apostrophe, half a Quote, and yet so much less!"

The etymology of the word "apostrophe" is from Greek through Latin, literally "the act of turning away."

ἀποστροφή

Here's the link to the dictionary definition:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/apostrophe

My Raison d'être

It is probably presumptuous to talk about any person having only one raison d'être (reason for being). We each have many facets, many raisons d'être, if you will, as does our Creator (who has infinitely many facets).

Nevertheless, most of my adult life seems to have revolved around learning and teaching. Learning in order to teach. Teaching and thereby being taught. Learning by teaching. Teaching while learning because something inside will not let me not share with others what I learn and what I love.

It is enlightening that in Hebrew, the letter Lamed has inherent within it both meanings—learn and teach.

The following link is an article entitled "I Learn, Therefore I Teach." When I first read the title, I thought, "I could have written this."

http://www.aish.com/torahportion/kolyaakov/I_Learn_Therefore_I_Teach.asp

Old Navy and Young Navy

In Sabba's Office. I love this shot!

At Home

Too Cool!

Estes Park 2008

During an extended family visit last November and December, we spent another wonderful weekend at the amazing Beit Shalom in Estes Park. Here are some photo remembrances, in no particular order.

Westward, Ho! From Denver, the mountains are always to the West.

Little Master Photogenic!

Being Silly!

The End!