This picture is courtesy of The Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

There was a gas line leak/ explosion this morning on Main Street in Bozeman. It took out three historic buildings and damaged several others... it is sad to see them gone!

We miss Bozeman... a lot, and try to keep up with news, and this has consumed me today.

They don't know yet how many people were injured, but with such devastation, surely there were some. There are a few people missing, the fire is still burning and they are having trouble searching through the rubble due to the unsafe conditions of the buildings and the fire. The good thing is that it happened at around 8:15am, so hopefully there weren't that many people out and about.

  Last night Miles was reading a history of Durham book and he read a part to me about how the Rose Bowl was held in Durham in 1941 (actually it was played in 1942). At first I thought he was kidding, but no, here it is straight from the internet:

With the United States' entry into WWII, on December 7, 1941, there was concern about an Japanese attack on the West Coast. Much discussion focused on the possibility of an attack where any crowds might gather. The Rose parade with a million watchers, and the Rose Bowl with 90,000 spectators were presumed to be ideal targets for the Japanese. Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt recommended that the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl festivities be canceled. The Rose Bowl committee originally planned to cancel the game. On December 16, 1941, Duke University invited the game and Oregon State to Duke's home stadium in Durham, North Carolina.

They borrowed bleachers from both Carolina and State and as the picture shows, they had an amazing turn-out. Duke played Oregon State on Jan.1 and lost... GO Beavers!

If you want to read more about this click here. It will take you to a Duke University archive page.

"The heavily favored Duke team lost on a cold, rainy day to an underestimated defensive team that successfully protected an early lead. Coach Wade later stated he spent too much time being host and too little time preparing the team. He also gave the team several days off to go home for Christmas."

Duke, you just got slightly less repulsive. ha ha ha Seriously though... that is totally awesome.  Except they should have called it the Tobacco Bowl... they called it the Durham Rose Bowl instead.

p.s. if you click on the picture it will open in a new window, much bigger.

Maybe it is because it is rainy, but all day I have been thinking about William Carlos Williams' poem, XXII (aka The Red Wheelbarrow). Williams is one of my favorite poets.  While in college, I was intorduced and imediately in love with William Carlos Williams' poetry. here is The Red Wheelbarrow:

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

I love REAL SIMPLE.  I had a subscription for a couple of years, but the last year I haven't gotten it and I miss it.  Miles gets Sports Illustrated and I get Time Magazine. I thought that I would really enjoy that, but I have decided that I would rather have Real Simple. I was at the checkout stand a couple of days ago and the December issue of REAL SIMPLE was calling out to me… I had to buy it. And I have been oh so savoring my time reading the issue, feeling like I am rationing out the pages, in order for it to last as long as possible. ha ha ha I know, I am obsessed.

Miles laughs at my love of REAL SIMPLE, since one of my explanations as to why I love it was that, "it tells you how to do great things like getting rid of stains and other cool stuff."  I think that, contrary to recent post on both our blogs, REAL SIMPLE has more information that directly pertains to my life.

So, I tore out the subscription page and as soon as my Time Magazine subscription is up, I am sending it in. It will be a sweet reunion.

Today Miles and I were watching the rerun of Wednesday's CNN/YouTube Republican debate.  It was really interesting and I learned a lot about the candidates.  But the most incredible answer came when Ron Paul was asked if he were to become president what three federal programs he would reduce in size in order to cut spending... you know what his first "agency" was?!?!? The Department of Education. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What an idiot!  Maybe you and No Child Left Behind loving Hillary can hook-up on a bipartisan ticket... YOU BOTH ARE CRAZY! (Slightly to his defense, I would guess that he would want to cut federal spending and increase state spending; but even then, A LOT of the states' money come from federal subsidies).

I think I am going to have to add Ron Paul to my list of "if they become president I am moving to Canada" list... currently it just contains Hillary.  ha ha ha

All ridiculousness aside, my favorite answer came from Giuliani when he was asked why he believes that citizens should pass a written exam to own a gun.  His answer was...

We have to be very aggressive in how we enforce gun laws that exist.  I had a city in which when I took over there were 2,000 murders a year, 10,000 felonies a week, and I enforced the gun laws very aggressively. I enforced all laws very aggressively. And that is why we reduced shootings by 74%, we reduced homicide by 67% and we went from being one of the most dangerous cities in the country to being one of the safest. As far as that is concerned what I believe is the second amendment gives individuals the right to keep and bear arms; government can impose reasonable regulations.  Generally, those reasonable regulations would be about criminal background and a background of mental instability; basically the ones that are outlines in the opinion of Judge Silberman.  If those regulations go beyond that then those are unconstitutional.  I think states can have a little bit of leeway, New York can have somewhat stricter rules than let’s say Kentucky; Texas might have different rules than Ohio, but generally you have got to comply with this rule. Now the Supreme Court is going to decide this probably within the next six months.  The Parker case (Parker vs. District of Columbia) has been taken to the Supreme Court and they are going to decide whether it’s a right that pertains to the militia, which I don’t believe that it is, or is it a right that is a personal right, I believe that it is and I will live by that and people will be allowed to have guns and I am not going to interfere with that.  Generally, decisions are going to be made on a state basis and they are going to have to comply with the constitution.

 I loved it; it doesn't mean that I will be voting for him, but still, it was a good answer. I don't really agree with the 2nd Amendment/ Gun Control issue, I think that the second amendment doesn't pertain directly to our societal situation, but none-the-less, until it is amended; a good Republican answer was expressed by Giuliani.  He put the responsibility in the states hands to regulate themselves. And that really is where most of the power should be (this is my Republican roots coming out). Giuliani is right, things are different in Texas and Ohio, Montana and Virginia, etc.. I don't care if we are taking gun control, education, etc. states should have the majority of the power to govern themselves. Thank you Giuliani for saying it; for standing up for your party, staying red and not trying to appear purple! (Although I would call myself more moderate, therefore more purple than red).

Today Halleigh and I had the first session of, mommy and me, swimming lessons. Driving home I got to thinking about how learning to swim is a metaphor for parenting… bittersweet.  Lovingly teaching, supporting, pushing, catching, and guiding them to be comfortable swimming/living on their own.  As I sit here typing this, tears streaming down my face, I realize that I am tired and overly emotional about stupid swimming lessons, and that I have barely begun the parenting journey.  Nonetheless, I am already starting to feel Halleigh becoming independent of me, which IS what I want, but it IS very hard! First weaning, then walking, now swimming… See… it’s bittersweet!

Let me preface this by saying that I am not a poet. I was an English major/ teacher because I love literature, not because I am able to write poetry.

Swimming Lessons

Little fishy you seem to be

Born for the water, asleep in a float toy.

Loving the shower; Loving the bath,

Droplets of water cling to your lashes.

Streams of clear water never a bother.

Little fishy you seem to be

So full of life, zest some may call it.

But not on the first day of lil’fishy class;

You cling to the side unwilling to jump,

The strange environment exposing your need.

Little fishy you seem to be

Not having fun, just sucking your thumb.

Why was the pool your nemesis today?

Normally you smile and play, splashing and kicking.

But not on this morning; you smiles are gone.

Little fishy you seemed to be

A Clam, you’d best be described as

Clingy and scared, all uncharacteristic,

Begrudging the fact that this is not over;

Five weeks of learning, Five weeks foretell.

Little fishy you seem to be

Dreading the next week when we have part two.

Maybe with some practice you will warm up

To the idea of swimming and learning to jump.

You can learn how to swim without losing your need

Little fishy you seem to be

Needing your mother, but afraid of a loss.

Ready to grow in so many ways, I know that

Swimming will bring you much joy in your life.

But I’ll cherish your need holding it close to my heart,

It will be gone all too soon and we’ll swim apart.

Autumn is an amazing time of year. It has a negative connotation in most circles, and I think that it is unfair. Look at movies... The Village, One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Garden State are all great examples of strong autumnal usage.  They all are stories that take place almost exclusively in autumn; it solidifies the dramatically sinister and depressing moods that directors want audiences to feel.  Literature too, even more famously uses autumn as a time of death, the end, stripping down, breaking down, depression, and melancholy. Jane Austen used seasons masterfully in her writing, and autumn typically came at the most sad, desolate time in the characters journey through life, love, and/ or adventure.  It works as a literary device, seething ominous, threatening, and disturbing vibes, but isn't autumn also about finding warmth, preparing for the winter by gathering those you love near and sharing in the harvest?

I love autumn, I think of it as a time of preparation, a time to hunker down and get ready for winter.  It's a time of hot apple cider and pumpkin pie. Autumn is a time to pull out the cotton flannel sheets and down comforters; pick and carve pumpkins, wear sweaters and wooly socks; go Christmas shopping and make a Turkey; cook, bake, celebrate and enjoy the harvest with loved ones. No, autumn is not a sad or desolate time in my journey, it is a time of year charged with the energy of gathering, of change, and a time of (searching for) warmth.