July 30, 2006

We'll be filling a semi trailer full of furniture and boxes soon. It will leave, and about a week later we'll be unloading that furniture, those boxes and moving into a small apartment. Most stuff will stay packed away until the house back in Minnesota is built so we're taking extra care with the packaging of our furniture. Things like 'no plastic touching fabric' and the direction boxes are stacked become very important when the majority of what your... you're... packing is going to be stored away for four months.

Rachel and I will be at college this Fall. It will be so nice to have my sister at college with me. I've been looking forward to having her at college, and with our family more than half a continent away it will be even more encouraging for us to be together. I'm looking forward to seeing friends again, singing with the chorale, listending to John MacArthur preach on Sunday and learning more about the bible and music (and economics and science this semester). Come Christmas break though, when the thrill of Come ChristmasSing 06 is tucked snugly into my memories, with the last finals taken and the last recitals given it will be wonderful for my sister and I to come home to a white Christmas with our family.

That is, assuming it snows.

 

July 16, 2006

Thanks so much to all who have been praying for my families move. We have recieved an offer, completed negotiations and the sale of our house is now pending. We'll be posting updates on how construction of our new house back in the northern parts of our nation is going at www.wheelerfamily.name

We'd already planned our moving date a while back and had scheduled to begin packing this monday when the offer was made. It's always a strengthening experience to see God's answer to prayer after trusting for so long. It's amazing what happens when you just pack up and do what you're sure is right while trusting that the rest will work out, or that you'll be redirected down another path.

I've got a couple more personal websites I'm thinking of launching soon, and I'm working on a few others for clients right now so I'll post those when they're finished.

July 13, 2006

An Academic Treatise extolling the virtues of Anopheles quadrimaculatus and its close in

One might undertake keyboard in hand at this moment such in time to extoll the virteus of Anopheles quadrimaculatus and it's close kin of the soon to be nonexistent name Aedes and mutual aquaintences. With the fine virtues of these at where shalt the third person begin. Let them begin thus by describing one's reasoning in this undertaking and the circumnstance at which this inspiration did come.

Yet while in the moist and nurturing forests of dear Minnesota one was theoretically ambling the virtues of these fine specimins of natural existence did come to that mind. Reasoning in this venture is such, that were one to be less informed that person might err and make the commen deducement that this fine specimen of nature was devoid of human benefit.

This is not so! Indeed the benefits of this tiny creature are but great. Let the author thus elaborate with logic.

It is important that one know the creature with wherin is being dealt with. That which is referred is but one of the many creatures represented by the name of which a capitolistic english speaking nation refers to as the "Mosquito" or "@!*&$*%!" [I've always wanted to use those signs - have fun trying to think up eight letter words, I didn't even try and I couldn't think of any.]

The mosquitos benefit may not be found in its impact on agriculture or its control of non-native species [so why mention them] but is rather found in its ability to act as a repellent to certain variations of Home sapien or know to the less inteligent Homo stupide as "man". Let the author begin by describing these three variations of Homo sapien. [yes, let him]

The first of these is most easilly recognized by its common name Couch Potató though to the more studied its name is Seetontush alldeh. According to Boingo's Definitive Guide to the Home sapien, "This variation of man is generally [...] larger than most men and can subsist on full starch food while gaining its necessary light for photosynthesis from its flickering surroundings." The evolution of this species is believed to have come about over four million years ago with the advent of subgenus "midi" (Missing Its Diatonic Indicator) which allowed the first substantive and entertaining sound tracks. (sholars disagree with the author on this point but the author is unrefutable and thus has no reaon to brign up this mute point) Unfortunately due to habit loss with the introduction by evil capitalistic barbarians of the 'LCD', which eliminates light output necessary for photosynthesis, the population of the Couch Potato has been in sharp decline. The repellent nature of the mosquito is thus beneficial to this variation because of the role it plays in keeping it in its proper habitat.

The second and third of these are both the same variation but are distinguished by male and female. "Woos" being the common name for male while "Wimp" being the female counterpart. Obviously the latin scientific name is the same as scholars of the peers of this authors caliber would not be confused by the minor variences in outward appearance between the genders of this variation - notably in hair lenth and the darker almost painted appearance of the female's eye lids and lips as opposed to the bland practicallity of the males facial appearance. One other suitable indicator of gender has been the presence of facial hair, although this is frequently deceptive. The latin name then for the "Woos" and "Wimp" is Imskared uvnayter. The benefit of the mosquito in this relm is more toward the final variation of Home sapien which shal be mentioned as one which is not repelled by the mosquito.

This variation is know by the common name "Outdoorsman". The mosquito acts as a repelent toward these other variations thus keeping the habitat of Outdoorsman free of intruding variations such as those mentioned above. The following fact should be taken in mind however from the prestigous Bimbo's Guide to the Great Outdoors, "Though Outdoorsman is not free of the agression of the mosquito which repells other variations it recognizes the benefit of this creature and its ability to keep habitat free of other competing varities."

One short note should be made about though it is somewhat irrelevent to this current discussion [then why bother?]. These variations are not the only ones which exist and are influenced by the presence of the mosquito. There are indeed other variations whose reactions to the mosquito are sometimes as clear cut as those above or extremely varied such as the reaction of the variation known as "Valley Girl" or by the latin name Leevinmall alldeh. The reaction of this variation may vary from sheer terror to that of those possesing blond hair - which is commonly to attempt and care for the 'small homeless bird'.

Unfortunately the author has spent so much time and become so bored of writing the introduction ind third person that they are forced to make a point in one paragraph. The point is thus, though a small nuisance to all Home sapien the mosquito is a valuable repellent that keeps "Woos", "Wimp" and "Couch Potató" from invading the habitat of "Outdoorsman". Thus the harmony that exists between creatures is once again shown.

If the author made fun of someone, please don't take it personally - I'm sure the author didn't mean too. Beside - would that person really want to admit to being in one of the first three catagories above? [I take no responsibility for the above comments although I am over 18 now and can no longer blame my parents for my problems. I must now blame them on society.]

[I'll try and write something edifying tomorrow] : )

 

Monday, July 3rd (night)

Well, we (dad, nate and I) just got back from the fireworks down at Marine on St Croix. It was a long show and had a big finale. (can I think of anything more generic to say?) There were some really big fireworks that covered the whole sky above you and draped down really low like a weeping willow.

Of course the fireworks club down at Marine on St Croix aren't the only ones with fireworks out here. You can pick up a couple yourself if you want. The volunteer fire department siren went off about thirty minutes after we got back to our apartment and a little later three fire trucks went zipping past us. That's not new though. Fireworks or no fireworks you can always expect to hear sirens on the fourth... third?

It is kind of funny to have fireworks on the third. I guess we'll get them twice though - tonight and then tomorrow night. That's fine by me I suppose.

Dad dropped Nate and me off at the new property and we took a hike through O' Brien State Park. The three of us have been hiking all but one day since we got here - but we'd never taken the beaver lodge trail so Nate and I decided to take it. Sure enough, there's was a beaver lodge - and a beaver.

While we were coming over the hill that looks through the trees in to the lake I thought I saw a lone duck swimming on the water. Then when we got closer we heard and, turning our heads quickly, saw a very big splash. It was to big for a turtle and definately to big for a frog. Besides, neither a turtle nor a frog would be jumping off of a lily pad because of someone over fifty feet away. Nate guessed it was a beaver slapping its tale to warn the other beavers that we'd heard.

He was right. We sat down to watch and a little while later a beaver came swimming up from the nearby island made of mud and tree branches - their lodge. It swam along in the water its body barely visible on the surface. After waiting in some grasses by its lodge it then swam out to some lily pads, only its head showing above the water. I snapped some photographs while it munched on some of the pond plants and you'll see some below. enjoy!

These are some dragonflies at the pond across the street from our property - which we briefly visited before starting our hike. Nate and I have spotted at least two kinds of frogs. (That we can distinguish from those over two inches long.) There are hundreds of little guys about a quarter the size of your little fingernail jumping around in the grass and weeds around the pond. I'll try and post a couple pictures of them in a later post.

If you look carefully you can see the lodge in the middle of the picture between the two trees. There were stumps with teeth marks around the lodge from trees that had been chewed down.

The shy beaver is in the middle of the lilly pads here. I had to crop this photo otherwise this would have been a Where Beaver? photo with sir beaver being a little brown dot in the middle of green lilly pads.

This was one of the frogs at the lake the beavers are in

Here's a bunny we saw on our way back from beaver lodge trail to the property. Quite a few bunnies hopping along the trails in the park.

I've got more pictures, and more to take, but they'll have to wait for now. Have a great fourth of july week.

 

Monday, July 3rd

I will post pictures soon. But we're still working on getting internet to the apartment in Minnesota so I'm just writing a quick update from here from Roberta's cofee, tea & internet in the wonderful town of Marine on St. Croix. We've got fireworks tonight and then a parade tomorrow. Should be pretty fun.

I've got so many stories to tell and pictures to show. But I'll have to write those up tonight and then post them tomorrow.

If you've got internet at your hotel in St. Petersburg Russia... hi mom and rachel! Hope tonight's concert went well (Of course for us it's still morning...)

And well I'm at it, hello Grandma and Hannah. Hope horse camp was fun and you enjoyed riding!

I'll try and post more on the 5th, or maybe even tomorrow, but till then Happy Fourth of July! Remember to pray for the soldiers in Iraq keeping us free.