New Neighbor

We've got a new neighbor here in the neighborhood. I've heard it yelling at someone a couple times over the last few days.

The First Salute

Well I'm back from a quick trip over a 4-day weekend to Utah to see my cousin Orson (we call him Sam) and his wife Lisa graduate from BYU. Sam was in the Air Force ROTC and the cadets were first in line to get there degrees and a handshake from the Dean.



Sam and Lisa are 4th & 5th from the right in the first row way, way down there...



Sam getting his handshake from the dean... sorry Lisa I got your picture just as you were walking away from the dean.



Upon graduating the cadets are commissioned as 2nd lieutenants in the United States Air Force. Sam's older brother Paul, as a Major in the Air Force, was able to perform the ceremony for Sam's commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. Paul spoke of the special friends Sam & Lisa will make as they are stationed from post to post, the things they will do that many of us will never experience as well as the solemn occasion and respect we should show towards those people that join the military to defend our nation during times of war.



After the smaller ceremony with just family and friends witnessing Sam's commission we went and saw the rest of the cadets and Sam get sworn into the Air Force and then get their 2nd lieutenants' bars pinned to their uniform. Marilyn (Sam's mother) & Lisa pinned Sam with the very same 2nd lieutenant bars Paul wore when he went into the Air Force. When Sam moves up in rank he will wear the 1st lieutenant and captain's bars that his father Orson wore during his time in the Air Force. As a newly commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the United States Air Force Sam is entitled to be saluted. There is a special tradition for the First Salute of a newly commissioned officer.

The following in what I found on the Something About Everything Military website:

The First Salute

By saluting first, the person is demonstrating deference to the senior rank, not inferiority to the person being saluted. One tradition associated with the hand salute has withstood the test of time. The tradition is that of newly appointed officer giving a silver dollar to the first enlisted person to salute them after they have received their commission.

The exact origin of this custom is arguable. Researchers suggest that it came from the British regiments stationed in Colonial America. They brought with them a number of customs and traditions that were retained by the newly formed American Units. For example, newly commissioned British officers were assigned an enlisted soldier to train them, teach them the regiment's history and traditions, and ensure that his equipment met appropriate standards. Grateful lieutenants often showed their heartfelt gratitude by informally compensating the enlisted man with a small sum of money.

This custom continued to grow within the British military and newly formed American units. American second Lieutenants, in 1816, received a monthly base pay of $25, a $3 ration allowance, and $1 for an enlisted advisor. This advisor's pay was later discontinued, but the responsibility for teaching the newly commissioned officer continued. The present day tradition is thought to have its roots in this relationship.

Authorized by Congress on April 2, 1792, the silver dollar traditionally is the only coin given in exchange for the first salute. The coin should represent more than a dollar in currency. To every new officer, it has a special significance. It represents the symbolic receipt of respect due a newly earned rank and position.

It signifies a deep sense of gratitude for the knowledge-enlisted personnel, especially NCOs, have passed on to them during training. It's acknowledgement from one professional to another saying, "Welcome to our service and to the profession of arms."

The coin is an expression of respect shared together, as are all tasks and missions that are given together for the officer and enlisted to perform. The values and ethics that are passed on to the newly commissioned officer are there to be shared and remembered and to be passed on again when the time comes.

Whatever the origin of the "silver dollar salute", it is part of all soldier's, sailor's, airman's, and marine's love of duty and their respect for each other, and it strengthens their commitment and responsibility to serve their country. Over the years each branch of service has put it's own spin on the tradition of the "silver dollar salute."

Some of the newly commissioned 2nd lieutenants received their first salute from enlisted personnel there helping with the ceremony. Others received their first salute from family members that were past or are present members of the military. Sam had asked cousin Dale if he would do the honor of presenting him with his "first salute". Dale served in the US Navy as a chief petty officer. As Dale was headed up to the stage Col. Jacobs, the officer presiding over the ceremony, saw that Dale was wearing his Viet Nam Veteran ball cap and quickly asked everyone present to rise to their feet and give him an ovation as a thankyou for his service to our country. If that doesn't get you a little bit teary eyed you don't have a heart! Hopefully somebody can get the colonel's contact info so we can thank him for what he did for Dale.



I'm glad I was able to go over and witness this special occasion. There will be things to laugh about like the fire drill the morning of the commission ceremony and "borrowing chairs" from the terrace room where they were holding the reception after the ceremony. But hey if they knew the size of our family they'd have known to have a lot more chairs in the room for Sam's commission ceremony! At least there were a few chairs left for the group photo in the terrace after the ceremonies.



Nicole and I are hoping we can get "over the hill" for a visit here sometime this summer.

Trip to Albuquerque

Well, I'm back from New Mexico, it was a really good trip. The weather was sunny and warm (except for the day I arrived- it rained all day) which was a nice change from the Colorado snow!

Jen and I had a fun time shopping, trying new restaurants, going to movies, and just hanging out in her air-conditioned apartment. We met with her realtor Saturday morning to look at a few houses (she's probably going to buy a house within the next few weeks!) visited the Rio Grande Zoo, Botanic Gardens and Aquarium and even treated ourselves to pedicures before she dropped me off at the airport Monday afternoon.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

We visited a really cool bakery where they specialize in awesome cupcakes. Each day they have 15-20 different varieties. When we visited Saturday afternoon, we picked out 6 to try, but only ended up eating a total of two each over the course of 3 days. (Jen cut each one in half, to be scientific about tasting them) I think we were pretty restrained, all things considered. My favorite was the lemon custard cupcake (lower right). Yum!

Sunday we headed to the zoo. The three facilities were part of what the city calls the "bio park" and one modest fee gets you into all three, plus a train ride between the zoo and aquarium. It was a beautiful day, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Jen and I had a good time walking around.

The polar bear at the zoo was amazing! When we were outside he was walking around the edge of the pool, but as soon as he jumped in we headed downstairs, and I'm glad we did, it was awesome to see him playing in the water.

I love the bright colors of the flamingos. So distinctive! And they were all awake when I snapped this shot, but I noticed when we walked back through on our way out several house later- most of them were snoozing the afternoon away.

And oh my gosh- these prarie dogs made me laugh! While their friends were busily scurrying to and fro, these two just laid still and soaked up the sunshine. They are so adorable!

After the zoo, we hopped aboard the train to see the aquarium. It wasn't a very big facility, but they did have a nice sized salt water tank with lots of sharks, sting rays, big fish, and even turtles. I could have stood there watching them swim by for hours.

To finish off the afternoon, we walked through the Botanic Gardens... and it's already Spring down in New Mexico! C'mon Colorado... we're waiting... enough with the snow! Their tulips were nearly finished, and the roses almost in bloom, while here in Denver I'm excited that my daffodils have finally bloomed.

The main grounds of the garden were still a desert landscape to be sure, and xeriscaping was a big focus. But they did have lots of lawn and a pretty bulb garden laid out.

Also, there's a new Japanese Garden feature which looks to be really nice once the weather warms up and things start filling in. Another feature in the garden were two big conservatories, one with a desert climate and landscape, the other a mediterranean climate with simply lovely flowers. Just outside was a fruit tree in full bloom, you can see the walls of the conservatory behind it:


I liked the Botanic Garden the most, but that's the gardener in me I'm sure. Which one did you like the best, Jen?

Here's Jen smiling with glee at a big kitchen in one of the houses we viewed. This particular house came in second overall, and actually the dark burgundy paint with floral border was not much of a selling point for us. Cosmetics can be changed though, and this house had good "bones".

I really learned a lot touring the houses with her realtor, he was very knowledgeable about the Abq market, house values and what things to watch out for. It was like being on one of those HGTV real estates shows, without all the cameras and commercials.

It was a wonderful trip. Nice to get a few days away from work, and great to see Jen. I really liked the opportunity to be somewhere I've never been before, the adventure of finding out about a new city and what it has to offer.

Next up it's Chuck's turn to travel, he heads to Utah to see lots of family and Sam's graduation/comissioning into the Air Force. Have a good week everyone!

Cooper Kitty

Do you think my cat is trashy??!

News Update

I haven't posted much the last few days, but never fear my dear readers, I did keep my camera handy, and I have lots to share.

Keena wasn't feeling very well last week. We thought maybe she had eaten something- she was very lethargic and not eating, but throwing up a lot (and other unmentionables!)

If you've met Keena, you'll know that she is pretty much known for her energy, so believe me when I tell you it's an extremely noticeable difference when she's not feeling good. So after a day or so with no improvement, Keena and Chuck went to visit her vet. The doc was very nice and tested a few things to determine that it wasn't anything serious, but there was some bacteria present in her stool sample. So with a shot to control nausea, and some meds to go, she and Chuck headed back home.

She perked up within a couple hours, and started eating again soon after. We fed her a bland diet of rice, ground beef, and pumpkin for a few days (makes hospital food look pretty good, eh?!) and now she's back to jumping, playing, and howling like a banshee. Next on the agenda for her is a bath, like the one she got a few weeks ago:

In other news...

I have always been a "do your taxes as soon as possible after Jan 31st" kind of girl. However, Chuck is the exact opposite. Hopefully, by the time this blog is posted, we will have e-filed and be done with it. But yikes! April 15th is already here! It kinda bugs me to wait so long...I worry about what if we're getting money back... what if we owe... I need to know and make a plan! :) Can you tell I like things planned out a bit more than most folks? (thanks, Dad, I get that from you.)

Especially with the economic situation Chukani have been in lately (since his contract work is not steady yet), I admit I've been worried about having to owe taxes, and where the funds might be coming from. But I've really been trying to NOT worry about things so much, and give that worry to God and just make sure I'm doing what I need to do now, and not worrying about the what-ifs. So I finally convinced Chuck to tackle our taxes Monday. And lo and behold- We DON'T owe anything, in fact we'll be getting a modest refund for the first time in 3 years of filing jointly. Yippee! Praise God. At every point in the last few months that I think we won't be able to make it, things are just too tight- God has provided in one way or another and we have been blessed again and again.

Speaking of blessings, Chukani spent a lovely evening last Thursday celebrating 4 years of marriage. We kept things pretty low key, just exchanging cards, but he had some beautiful flowers for me as well.

One of Chuck's sweet relatives had sent us some $$ for a nice dinner out, so we went to a really good Japanese restaurant in town, Kobe An. We've enjoyed going there on dates over the past few years, and even ate there with a bunch of snow-stranded friends in the wedding party the night after we got married! So it's a special place for us, and we enjoyed some delicious sushi:

Our waitress even talked us into trying their chocolate lava cake dessert. It was very rich and chocolatey!

We did get each other an anniversary gift this year actually, Chukani bought a new bible last weekend. Chuck picked out the NIV Archeological Study Bible, and we both really like it. The gal at Family Christian Stores did a good job putting our names on the cover. I have to tell you that Chuck's Grandma Mary Keller used to do the bible engraving at a Christian bookstore, so I had to laugh when both Chuck and Pat were a bit critical of the workmanship... both saying it was slightly crooked, and Grandma would never had sold that. :) But I think it's beautiful.

Chuck wanted to get a cover to keep the bible safe, and we looked around for a bit, not finding anything that really looked good in our price range.

Then we noticed this one- with the verse that has really claimed our lives these past few months. (And my Wednesday bible study focused on this verse the first week as well, so it's doubly important to me.) I knew it was the right cover, and it fit the new bible (which is awfully thick!) like a glove. yeah!
Which leads me to last weekend... Did you have a good Easter? Hope so!

Ours was rainy and cold outside, but blessed and warm inside! Chukani colored our Easter eggs Saturday night, and then Sunday morning we made it to the 8am (wow that's early) service at church. The heater hadn't quite had enough time to warm the sanctuary, so I had to keep my coat on over my Easter dress...brr.

We came home and made buttermilk pancakes with homemade strawberry syrup, and what a sugary, yummy way to start the day.

Later on, Chukani and Pat went over to Bill and Diana Robbins' house for Easter lunch. Bill (jr), Donna and little David were there too, and it was very nice spending the afternoon with them. Di cooked a fantastic brisket, Donna made some amazing cheesy mashed potatoes, and after a hearty lunch, we relaxed while David played with his Easter basket of toys and goodies. While he napped, the grown-ups played Mexican Train Dominoes and it was a blast.

The rain was kind of disappointing because I was looking forward to a sunny Spring day, but truly, rain was very needed here in Denver. And now the grass is nicely greening up and our daffodils are beginning to bloom. So as Chuck says, "it's all good."

Here's Chuck hard at work with the egg dyeing:

And me with some of the finished product. I have to admit several of these pretty eggs turned into Deviled Eggs the next day, which is my personal favorite way to eat a hard boiled egg!
This coming weekend I am going to New Mexico to visit Jen. We are going to go shopping, play tourists, and check out this spot for sure. I'll have access to email and fb, but I won't probably post to the blog until I get back next week, so check back soon.

The weekend after that, Chuck and Pat are both headed to Utah for the weekend. Pat's nephew Orson (we know him as SAM though!) :) is being commissioned into the Air Force and family is gathering from far and wide to honor the occasion. I am so sorry to have to miss it, but I can't take any more time off from work right now... so Chuck and Pat will have to hug and kiss everyone for me! I know you Hartogs/Porters will have a great time!

Ok, I think you're all caught up on the latest news from our side of the mountains. Take care!

Getting up early has its benefits...

Because when I am up early enough to see the sun rise, sometimes I get rewarded with a sunrise like this!

4 Years Ago...

Nicole and Chuck got married!!

It must still be Winter...

...because the Canada Geese are still hanging out in our front yard!

It's fun to watch them splash around in the snow melt by the street.

Chukani took Keena for walks around the big park down the street a couple times a week throughout this past winter, and at times we would see flocks of several hundred geese at once, hanging out on the flat grassy areas. Lately it's only been a few dozen at a time. So I think a good portion of the Canada Goose population has already started their trek back home for the year. But with all the snow we've seen in the last several weeks... I'm hoping they don't decide to linger too long.

The birdseed feeders in our front yard are certainly attracting more than just the little finches and songbirds I was expecting. In addition to the aforementioned geese, we get woodpeckers coming to visit, a few pigeons now and again, and even a couple neighborhood squirrels who climb the pole and shake the feeders to get at the bird seed and sunflower seeds. Those squirrels are little rascals!

I do enjoy the Canada Geese coming to visit, except for when they decide to lay down in the flower beds out by the street. Pat and I planted tons of bulbs there last fall, and I don't want the tulips and daffodils to get squashed by a goose-tush, if ya know what I mean.





These pics are from a couple Fridays ago while I was home from work. One of the geese was a bit territorial about "his" puddle and was chasing everyone away that tried to come near.

Here he is enjoying his private bath:

And here he is sqwaking at a possible interloper!

I was standing pretty close watching the geese toodle around, and none of them seemed to mind me at all. Now, that's not to say that I would ever actually approach one of them, as I've seen how fast they can move, and I have no intention of getting bitten, or... (oh, you know it's coming...) GOOSED! hahaha

Sorry, that was a bit corny I know, but someone had to do it.

As I was wandering around outside for the goose photo-shoot, I saw that the kids across the street had built a little snow man (more of a snow-mound with eyes and a hat!) since the snow was so wet and heavy. Then I saw that our next-door neighbor decided to take the inspiration and go a little farther...

His snow monster was enormous! I think eventually he had a nice colorful hat on the snowman's head, and created a little friend by his side as well. I didn't have my camera with me for the final art installment, and unfortunately (luckily?!) the snowman didn't last more than a day under the Colorado sunshine.

Easter is next weekend, so Spring can't be too far away... I hope!

Cooper Kitty

A tisket, a tasket... a Cooper in a basket!