I Can't Believe I Forgot Joe's Liquor!

This place is in the memories of many former Sweetwater County teens...mainly because Joe's NEVER asked for ID. And yes, that sign does say "Drive-In".

My Wyoming: The Promised photos

Hail!

Rainbow trout fish fry.
There is a town...and a river runs through it...

Oh beautiful for spacious skies...

Serious windmills
No, I'm talking HUGE Windmills. Below are the parts with Dad-A-Thon standing nearby. That is ONE of the three blades.

Close up of the blade where it attaches to the center.

The center motor piece.

Then there are the other pics that warm my heart and let me know I'm back in the country:

To Tell or Not To Tell?

Long ago, I freely shared information about one of my children with people. I was an open book. You asked me, I told. I did this, because I thought that most people would like having as much information as possible when dealing with a child with "differences".



Oh how young and naive....



Yes, people did like having the info. However, instead of this informing and increasing their patience and understanding, it informed them and they never looked at my child with unbiased eyes again. That was painful. Excruciating, actually. And maybe it's my Italian bloodline, or just a hard heart, but I don't like getting burned--at all.
Now, my child never has felt any pain from this, nor is it likely he ever will. He is truly beyond all of it. He sees people for who/what they are. It doesn't offend him personally if someone cannot give him a fair shot. He sees it all as a defect in the other party. And frankly, he is spot on.



I, being a lesser developed soul, have been absolutely heartbroken by such events. Which brings me to the title of this post. At this point--and believe me, it has been a journey and a half to get here--my son is what most people would condsider just "a bit odd". So I am regularly tortured with the dilemma of whether or not to explain his oddities or just move on, knowing that there is that looming question mark.
I've often thought of consulting friends, but most either know how far we've come and rejoice with us, or only know him as he is now, neither of which offer a truly independent opinion.

So, here I am left wondering...I think it is a state that I shall likely live in perpetually....

What would you do?

Boys Will Be Men

Here are some good quotes from Future Men, a book by Doug Wilson that I finished recently. It's short and very interesting. He wraps every chapter up with a keeper.
In the chapter titled "Contempt for the Cool",Wilson contrasts the difference between pop and classical music:

The Music of Bach is of course demanding to perform, but it also makes demands on the listener. This is why the undisciplined mind avoids such music; it invites thought, contemplation, discipline, lots of icky things."

Another laugh out loud line is this from the chapter titled "Christian Liberty" where he discusses, among other things, the fine balance of the freedom of drinking alcohol:

Christian liberty is nothing other than slavery to God. The only alternative
to this is slavery to man and his desires, and this includes the young man in
question and his desires. But with all this said, wine was given to
gladden the heart of man (Ps. 104:15) and one of the duties a father has is that
of teaching his son to drink [responsibly].

And last but not least, a quote from the chapter "Girls and Sex":

There is no way that young men can watch, and be entertained by, movies whch
include displays of nudity, steamy sex scenes and so forth, without being aroused
by them. A boy who tells his mother that he can "handle it" is using what
astute theologians in former ages used to call "a lie."

It's a great book with so many goodies. You can buy it here.