Blue Moon...

As a rare blue moon cast its mysterious light over the last few hours of 2009, I paused to look skyward and reflect on the the moments and milestones that marked this year. A song came to mind, Seasons of Love:

525,600 minutes.
525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes.
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets,
In midnights, in cups of coffee,
In inches, in miles,
In laughter, in strife,

In 525,600 minutes,
How do you measure a year in the life?

How about love? How about love?
How about love? Measure in love.

Somehow, that pretty much says it all. 2009 had its share of ups and downs. In the end, it's the love you give, and the love that's bestowed upon you, that pulls you through and makes the next year worth living. May 2010 bring you lots of it...

The Best Gifts...

, ...aren't under the tree!

Have One for Me

The kids had so much fun doing their annual gingerbread thing (this year it was trains). There was frosting everywhere and a surfeit of candy and even at the end of two hours of festivities, they were ready for "just one more..."

Chillin'

Claire had a good time at her class holiday party, and this little craft project is a good reminder to all of us not to get our beaks out of joint!

Got Milk?

Jack is so appreciative of the occasional outing on his own with Mama... I'm glad someone still loves me!

Descartes Before de Horse?

Before Descartes got himself dubbed the Father of Modern Philosophy, he was a career mathematician (credited with discovering the concept of Analytical Geometry) and a well-renowned physicist. Add to that the fact that he was a devout Catholic living in fear of the Great Inquisitor's wrath due to his Galilean leanings, and you have a dude with some heavy issues. And that was before he went all philosophical.

Descartes took radical skepticism to the max: he decided to doubt everything, and quickly discovered that this perched him on the precipice of madness. He was a Rationalist, meaning that you can know things without having to rely on sensory experience. Certain ideas are innate. But he suffered over the body-mind disconnection (dualism). Suffice it to say that the guy went through a lot of blood, sweat and tears before reaching his simple and elegant conclusion: Cogito, ergo sum.

Blackie the Horse didn't seem to suffer from too much cogitating; for the better part of his life (28 years of his venerable 40), he stood in the same pasture, in the same spot, facing the same direction, masticating. I eat, therefore I am. There's a bronze statue erected in that very same spot now, honoring that venerable master of doing, basically, nothing... Maybe he was on to something. What do you think?

Baby, It's Cold Outside

23 degrees, to be exact.

Huddling by the heating vent for warmth...

Gloryland

Sometimes I'm just completely astounded

by the sights right outside our front door...

I Dew, Do You?