Sittin' Varsity

Tonight Linc had a ball game. It was against Bare Pond, the same team they played about ten day ago. Linc played the second quarter and the last two minutes of the Junior Varsity game and had his own cheering section. There were his wandering grandparents, his Corn Husker aunt and uncle (I presume), his tallest uncle and aunt plus two kids, His step aunt and uncle and cousin (lately from Norway and soon from Texas), his Southern cousins (Magdogs), and his Aggie cousin and his mom and three siblings (G-man stayed home) and I. I think that totals nineteen in all. He did really well and helped the cause with a couple points along with, as always, lots of defence. We thought the night was over and went home. Wife was going to go to the varsity game and Linc was going to stay and watch as well. Well, Linc called and told us that he was invited to "sit varsity". This means that he got to warm up and sit on the sidelines for the varsity game. He didn't play a single second but it is an honor to "sit varsity". The coach told him that it was because of how hard he has been working that he got the honor. It really is an honor for a Sophomore to do this.

Further stuff

Well I just got back from the doctor and it is indeed bronchitis. He also said that my arm should heal up on it's own and that he doesn't think that anything major is busted. I actually had a nice long conversation with him and he listened to me. He explained the names of the muscles and what they did along with some politics (I was wearing my tee shirt that read "Bitter typical white person clinging to God and my guns"). In all it was a pleasant trip to the doctor. I need to state here that it was not the same doctor that delivered me. It was however the same doctor that delivered three of my children.

On a related matter Step-father is in the hospital with Pancreatitious or some such thing and mom says that he is having some sort of scope tomorrow. Mom called Wife today and was almost happy that he was in there because they said it was because of his drinking that caused it and I hope he gets a clue and quites for good. Step-father feels that Joseph Smith was uninspired when he wrote the word of wisdom. Any way if you get the chance have a thought or a prayer for Step-father.

Another thing. I read a news item that many of you may not hear about. It was that the church that Governor Palin went to in Wasilla, Alaska was burned. They don't know for sure who did it but are rather certain that it was arson. This was on the Glenn Beck web site and they gave an address which is:

Wasilla Bible Church

1651 West Nicola Avenue

Wasilla, Alaska

99654

Wife and I are sending this letter:

Dear Wasilla Bible Church Official,

We recently heard about your building being burned and being Christian ourselves (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), yes we know you may not consider us Christian) and recently having been the focus of some harassment ourselves; we wanted to give a donation to your church to help rebuild your building.

Enclosed is a check for $20.00. We know it isn't much but we hope that it will help in some way.

We may worship differently and have contrasting doctrine but we both worship God and his son Jesus Christ. Continue to stand for Christian Values and seek after truth.

Your brother and sister in the Lord,

our names

PS. Merry Christmas

I take a woopen'

Well for about a week now I have had a cold/bronchitis but I have not let that stop me. I barely move in the first place so it's hard to know when I actually stop. Well Saturday morning I get up and it has snowed about 6" so after breakfast I get out to shovel. This fall I put down a "Redneck patio" which is to say three shipping pallets that have had the slats filled in with other scraps of wood. Wife felt that since the ground is now frozen we should take them up until spring since they were somewhat slippery with snow on them. Well I got two of the pallets up with no problem and moved them over by our bushes to construct a "fort" for the boys. Upon attempting to pick up the last (it's always the last one) I reached down with my left hand and started to pull up. The pallet didn't move but I heard three very distinct POPs in my arm and the kind of pain that tells you that you've just done a very stupid thing. Me being a tough manly man decided to keep going because I reasoned that it wasn't a big deal. I shoveled some and came to realise that it just may be a big deal. I got the pallet up by prying on it with a stick (couldn't have thought of that first, hey, Hercules?). Then I tried to lift it up on the top of the other two to make a roof for the "fort" and heard three more similar sounds. I asked Linc to assist me then went into the house and haven't poked my head out since. I can bend my elbow but I can't twist my wrist very far without being reminded of just how stupid I was. I think I will give it a day or two and see is there is any improvement then will probably go the the doctor and have them both looked at.

Lincball update

Linc went to Pelier and watched as the JV won their game. The coach told the Sophomores who didn't play something like 'sorry I didn't put you in but I wanted to win'. At least that's what Linc said he said. I think that last year was a great disservice to Linc by having him play JV as a freshman and all the other things that went on. Linc is a great defencive player and they say that that is what they want but the coaches don't seem to encourage it much. I wouldn't care except for what it's doing to Linc. Oh, and the varsity lost. They are now 2-2.

Lincball schedule

This is mostly the varsity schedule but the JV and Sophomore games follow rather closely.

• Dec 4-6.........Micky Dees Invite.at Capitol city (going on now)
• Dec 12...........Bare Pond...............There
• Dec 16...........Rio Verde...............Here (Sophomore)
• Dec 18-20.....Fire Gap Invite.....Rio Verde
• Dec 27...........Bare Pond..............Here (see this LBS?)
• Dec 30...........The Hole................Here
• Jan 9..............River Town...........There
• Jan10.............Sheri Dan..............There
• Jan 14............County Seat..........There
• Jan 15............$$$ County UT....Here (Sophomore)
• Jan 23............Nat Rona..............Here
• Jan 24............Kel-Wal................Here
• Jan 30............Stone Fountain...There
• Jan 31............Rio Verde..............Here
• Feb 4..............Evan's Town.........Here
• Feb 6..............Evan's Town.........There
• Feb 13...........Nat Rona................Friendly Ghost Town
• Feb 14...........Kel-Wal..................Friendly Ghost Town
• Feb 19...........Stone Fountain.....Here (Sophomore)
• Feb 20...........Stone Fountain....Here
• Feb 21...........Rio Verde..............There
• Feb 25...........Evan's Town.........There (Sophomore)
• Feb 26...........Evan's Town.........Here
• March 5-7.....Regionals...............Friendly Ghost Town
• March 12-14.State......................Friendly Ghost Town

He has played four games so far (2 Sophomore 2 JV) and has yet to win. Varsity is 1and1. They played School town and Capitol City East and are playing Capitol City Central today. I will try once again to get mom to even a minute of a game but I think it's a lost cause. I can't quite understand why she will go to a concert and not to a ball game.

The making of my day

Today like all Tuesdays (Tuesdays are the new Mondays) was rather crappy. Linc had early morning ball practice. No really big deal there I was headed to work anyway but now for the first little while it was with a grumpy teenager. Work was frustrating, machining, they say is an exact science. Numbers and computer code, metal and measurements, exactitude! Hogwash! It's an art and I was having artist's block. Well crappy work day. I picked up 'Leenie from Wife's work. I got home and was told that Linc needed picking up from school at 4:00. I knew that he wanted to get to the shoe store (yes we have one here) before it closed. Well, I went to the HS to pick him up and I waited, and waited. I went in and searched but no tall Sophomore (not mine anyway); so I went home thinking he got a ride with one of his friends. At home Holl informed me that there was no Linc so back to the school I went. Not before I was informed that Holl had pie-annie lessons right then. So 'Leenie went for a ride with me (don't ask where Wife is on Tuesdays that's another entry all together) back to the school. I took another direction in my search this time assisted by my lovely companion on my arm (literally). One of the teachers informed me that Linc was finished with what he had to do half an hour ago. Well I started to call home on my communicator when it hailed me and Linc said that he saw me driving off the first time so he took the 4:30 bus home (I wish I knew of this bus). Arriving home again I collected Linc and to the shoe store we flew. The quest was a pair of "team" basketball shoes that on previous occasions was out of stock and many sizes too small (another blog entry in the making). With the precious footwear ordered (here in five or six days) it was home again. The plan was to take Sparky to his reading night at 6:00 then off to general priesthood meeting at 7:00. I cleaned up some (shaved and washed my hair) then went to put on my church cloths. Dear sweet Wife had collected my cloths that I had left out from Sunday to wear on this very occasion and put them in to wash. Now the point of all this play-by-playing was to let you know the mental state I was in which was not good. In fact I was working up a really good mad which could be attested to by my children. It was 6:00 so I threw on my Aggie shirt and grabbed Sparky and headed the half block to the school for reading night. Now my mood was about as dark as the surrounding night, when as we were crossing the street Sparky asked "Are they carrying the scriptures?" I asked who was carrying the scriptures? He pointed up to this sign and said "them, are they carrying scriptures or books?" I mumbled something about Scriptures are books and outwardly went on but inwardly I stopped dead in my tracks and thought of what a wonderful thing it is to be surrounded by such fantastic people as me kids. I never made it to my priesthood meeting, I was too busy reading with my first grader and marveling at what a great bunch of kids I have been blessed with.