wasmi.net

Well, the long climb back from financial doom is beginning. At least we now can see a small bit of progress. There is no nest egg, anymore, but we both do have jobs. I still have to put off important purchases and play catch up later. (My Jeep has needed an oil change for weeks, can’t get one until I get paid again. And that’s what I said the last time I got paid, too.)

I’ve been reading a lot of mythology lately, and I found some interesting reading material from both Mesopotamia and Northern Europe.
Here is an extract from the Mesopotamian myth called Etana. The whole myth describes Innanna or Ishtar and the rest of the Gods search for a king to rule over their lands, in fact, the very first king, as civilization was so new that its government had not been ordered, yet.

n the shade of that shrine a poplar was growing [ ],
In its crown an eagle settled,
A serpent settled at its root.
Daily they watched the wind beasts.
The eagle made ready to speak, saying to the serpent,
“Come, let us make friendship,
Let us be comrades, you and I”.
The serpent made ready to speak, saying to the eagle,
“If indeed…. of friendship and [ ]
Then let us swear a mighty oath of Shamash.
An abomination of the gods [ ]
” Come then, let us set forth and go up the high mountain to hunt.
“Let us swear an oath by the netherworld”.
Before Shamash the warrior they swore the oath,
“Whoever transgresses the limits of Shamash
” May Shamash deliver him as an offender into the hands of the executioner,
” Whoever transgresses the limits of Shamash,
” May the mountains remove their praises far away from him,
” May the oncoming weapon make straight for him,
” May the trap and curse of Shamash overthrow him and hunt him down!”
After they had sworn the oath by the netherworld,
They set forth, going up the high mountains,
Each day by turns watching for the wild beasts,
The eagle would hunt down wild oxen and gazelle,
The serpent would eat, turn away, then his children would eat.
The eagle would hunt down wild sheep and aurochs,
The serpent would eat, turn away, then his children would eat.
The serpent would hunt down beasts of the field, the creatures of earth,
The eagle would eat, turn away, then his children would eat the food,
The eagle´s children grew big and flourished.
After the eagle´s children were grown big and were flourishing,
The eagle´s heart indeed plotted evil,
Evil his heart plotted indeed!
He set his thoughts upon eating his friend´s young!
The eagle made ready to speak, saying to its children:
” I will eat the serpent´s children, the serpent [ ],
” I will go up and dwell in heaven,
” If I descend from the crown of the tree, … the king.”
The littlest fledgling, exceedingly wise, siad these words to the eagle, his father:
” Do not eat, my father!
The net of Shamash will hunt you down,
The mesh and oat of Shamash will overthrow yu and hunt you down.
Whoever transgresses the limits of Shamash,
Shamash will deliver him as an offender into the hands of the executioner!”
He did not heed them, nor listen to his sons´ words,
He descended and ate up the serpents´ children,
In the evening of the same day,
The serpent came, bearing his burden,
At the entrance to his nest he cast down the meat,
He looked around, his nest was gone”
He looked down, his children were not [ ]!
The eagle had gouged the ground with his talon,
The cloud of dust from the sky darkened the sky.
The serpent…. weeping before Shamash,
Before Shamash the warrior his tears ran down,
” I trusted in you, O warrior Shamash,
” I was the one who gave provisions to the eagle,
” Now my nest [ ]!
” My nest is gone, while his nest is safe,
” My young are destroyed, while his young are safe,
” He descended and ate up my children!
” You know, O Shamash, the evil he has done to me,
” Truly, O Shamash your net is the wide earth,
” Your trap is the distant heaven,
” The eagle must not escape from your net,
” That malignant Anzu who harbored evil against his friends!”
When he had heard the serpent´s lament,
Shamash made ready to speak, and said to him:
” Go your way and cross the mountain,
” I have captured for you a wild ox.
” Open its insides, rend its belly,
” Set an ambush in its belly,
” Every kind of bird of heaven will come down to eat the meat.
” The eagle will come down with them to eat the meat,
” As he will not know the evil in store for him,
” He will search for the juiciest meat [ ], he will walk about outside,
” He will work his way into the covering of the instestines,
” When he comes inside, seize him by his wings,
” Cut off his wings, his pinions and tailfeathers,
” Pluck him and cast him into a bottomless pit,
” Let him die there of hunger and thirst”.
As Shamash the warrior commanded,
The serpent went and crossed the mountain.
Then did the serpent reach the wild ox,
He opened its insides, he rent its belly.
He set an ambush in its belly.
Every kind of bird of heaven came down to eat the meat.
Did the eagle know of the evil in store for him?
He would not eat the meat with the other birds!
The eagle made ready to speak, saying to his children:
” Come, let us go down and we too eat the meat of the wild ox”.
The little fledgling, exceedingly wise, said these words to the eagle, his father:
” Do not go down, father, no doubt the serpent is lurking inside the wild ox”.
The eagle said to himself,
“Are the birds afraid? How is it they eat the meat in peace?”
He did not listen to them, he did not listen to his sons´ words,
He descended and perched on the wild ox.
The eagle looked at the meat, searching in front and behind it.
A second tme he looked at the meat, searching in front and behind it,
He walked around outside, he worked his way into the covering of the intestines,
When he came inside, the serpent seized him by his wings,
” You intruded… you intruded…!
The eagle made ready to speak, saying to the serpent:
” Have mercy on me! I will make you such a gift as a king´s ransom!”
The serpent made ready to speak, saying to the eagle:
” If I release you, how shall I answer to Shamash o high?
” Your punishment would turn upon me,
” Me, the one to lay punishment upon you!”
He cut off his wings, pinions and tail feathers,
He plucked him and cast him into a pit.
That he should die there of hunger and thirst.
As for him, the eagle,…..[ ]
He kept on beseeching Shamash day after day:
” Am I to die in a pit?
” Who would know how your punishment was imposed upon me?
” Save my life, the eagle!
Let me cause your name to be heard for all time”.
Shamash made ready to speak and said to the eagle:
” You are wicked and have done a revolting deed,
” You committed an abomination of the gods, a forbidden act.
“Were you not under oath? I will not come near you,
“There, there! A man I will send you will help you”
Etana kept on bseeching Shamash day after day.
“O Shamash, you have dined from my fattest sheep!
“O Netherworld, you have drunk of the blood of my sacrificed lambs!
” I have honored the gods and revered the spirits,
” Dream intepreters have used up my incense,
” Gods have used up my lambs in slaughter.
” O Lord, give the command!
” Grant me the plant of birth!
” Reveal to me the plant of birth!
” Relieve me of my burden, grant me an heir!”
Shamash made ready to speak and said to Etana:
” Find a pit, look inside,
” An eagle is cast within it.
” He will reveal to you the plant of birth”.
Etana went his way.
He found the pit, he looked inside
The eagle was cast within it
There he was for him to bring up!

That ends the first part of the myth. (Etana is the King chosen by the Gods, the Eagle assists him in gaining the kingship and by magic obtains for him a plant (called the Plant of Life or Immortality) which will enable him to sire an heir, which he had been unable to do previously. The Eagle does this by flying Etana (who is hanging onto him) through the air over many leagues at various heights until they reach the gates of heaven.)

The Norse myth this reminds me of is the myth relating the theft of Idunn and her magic apples of immortality. Here is one of many versions of this story:

Iðunn is the goddess of eternal youth and is the wife of Bragi, the god of poetry. Idun keeps the golden apples that maintain the eternal youthfulness of the gods. Since the gods are not immortal, the apples are considered very precious.

One summer day, Óðin, Loki, and Hœnir were walking across Miðgarð. Hungry at the end of the day, they came upon a herd of oxen. Loki slaughtered one while Óðin and Hœnir built a fire. After roasting the meat for what seemed like a long time, the meat was just as raw as when they put it in the fire.

A large eagle perched in a tree observed all this and proposed a bargain. (Ed. note: In most versions of this story, the Eagle makes it clear that he is magically preventing the meat from being cooked.)If the gods would let the eagle eat first, the ox would be cooked.

Loki and eagleThe gods agreed, seeing no alternative. The eagle swooped down and snatched the lion’s share (Ed. note: the best portions, the shoulders and thighs) of the ox from the fire. Landing nearby, the eagle began to eat greedily. Loki was so angry at the theft of their evening meal that he rammed his staff into the eagle’s body. (Ed. note: Most versions say Loki struck the eagle with his staff, but this choice of wording is very interesting.)

Loki and Thiazi the eagle flew off at great speed. Loki found to his dismay that the staff was firmly lodged in the body of the eagle and that he was unable to release his hands from the staff. The eagle flew low enough to make certain that Loki’s ride was uncomfortable. His legs banged into boulders and he was nearly ripped in two.

Loki begged for quarter. The eagle said he would release Loki only if Loki would swear to bring Iðunn and her apples out of Ásgarð. Now, Loki knew that the eagle could only be a giant in disguise. Crazy with pain, he swore the oath.

Eagle carrying off IdunBack in Ásgarð, Loki convinced Iðunn to travel with him to Miðgarð. The giant Þjazi, again wearing an eagle skin, swooped down and carried Iðunn and her apples off to his castle in the mountains of Jötenheim, land of the giants. Here, Þjazi alone would enjoy the apples.

Iðun’s absence was quickly noted in Ásgarð. Without Idun’s apples, the gods and goddesses began to grow old and gray, and their powers declined. Gathering his remaining strength, Óðin called the gods to council. Someone remembered that Iðunn was last seen with Loki. The gods sought out Loki and bound him, demanding that he find a way to return Iðunn and her apples or else face death at the hands of the gods.

Loki agreed to make the journey to find Iðunn and her apples. Using a hawk skin (Ed. note: He borrowed Freyja’s falcon cloak) to fly, he traveled to Þjazi’s castle in Jötenheim, where he found Iðunn alone, huddled over a smoky fire. Saying the magic words, he turned Iðunn into a nut. Grasping the nut between his claws, Loki flew off, back to Ásgarð.

Þjazi, returning to the castle from fishing, found Iðunn gone. He knew that only one of the gods could have stolen her back. He donned his eagle skin for a third time, and flew to give chase.

Back at Ásgarð, the gods could see the hawk struggling to outrun the eagle. Realizing the situation, they piled wood shavings and kindling against the wall of Ásgarð. Loki and Idun flew over the wall as the gods ignited the wood. The eagle could not avoid the flames, and his wings were destroyed. He fell to the ground in torment, and the gods quickly killed the eagle.

Idun and Loki threw off the hawk skin. Picking up the nut, he spoke the magic words again. Iðunn moved among the aging gods and goddesses, offering them the apples that would restore their youth. (The End.)

Okay, we have here another story involving an eagle perched on the top of a tree, who is being fed by the catch of the being at the bottom of the tree, and there is also a magical ride with an eagle and the object of the eagle’s quest: the apples (or plant) of immortality which will give the possessor the right to rule.

Interesting, very interesting.

Derek had a great time at the Cub Scout Blue and Gold banquet, where he received the Tiger badge. The event was catered, and all of the Cub Scouts were supposed to be getting spaghetti and meatballs, while the adults were to receive chicken alfredo. The caterer misunderstood the instructions, and made only enough spaghetti for the nine younger siblings of the cub scouts. They were prevailed upon to make more spaghetti, as the cub scouts turned up their noses at the chicken alfredo!

From the wasmiverse to the universe, a heartfelt wish for happiness, health and a stable home.
And may 2011 be even happier for all of us!

I have in my possession (as the family historian) a whole bag of old letters that my Uncle Bob wrote to my mother back in the 60′s. He was in the army, stationed at various places in the south, she was a housewife in Detroit.
Uncle Bob was a prolific and entertaining writer, and the letters not only detail his adventures in the army, they also shed light on family history.
Here is a little snippet from one of Bob’s letters to Mom. Anyone who was a correspondent of my grandmother during her lifetime will appreciate what he has to say:
“Often think Mom’s retirement (should) include writing letters. She did much better when she was working – at least frequency-wise. Of course, now they do tend to be more newsy and fortunately she has quit sending meaningless clippings from newspapers and magazines. When she just started that nonsense I used to spend considerable time turning them over & over and pondering what import they may have. Finally, in a burst of insight, I realized that they fell into the same category as Carter’s Little Pills, and, needing none, I promptly dispatched the clippings to the nearest ash can. Why, for instance, send anyone 1/2 or 3/4 of a classified ad? I think I finally figured out that she had a mad on with the Post Office and was out to get her 5 ounces worth at all costs, usually mine since these gems always came postage due.”

Well, the WEG is finally over. Was it fun? Yes! Was it exhausting? Absolutely! Did everything always go exactly as planned? Guess!
The biggest complaints I heard were about the food. The volunteers didn’t like it. The other attendees didn’t like it. What was there was mostly located in one central area, and if the event you were there for wasn’t happening in that area, tough luck!
For volunteers at the Equine Village, there wasn’t time for them to leave their booth, walk to the food area, grab a bite to eat, and get back to their booth during their lunch break. So they often didn’t get lunch. (Or, as in my experience, a potty break.)
Attendees at the Equine Village and the Trade Show often didn’t realize that there WAS a food court area. It was pretty far away from the booth areas, wasn’t well-marked, and no maps were distributed until the second week of the Games! (Although there were large maps at a few kiosks scattered throughout the Horse Park, it was difficult to orient yourself. The Horse Park looked a LOT different during the Games!)
From what I saw, the large food booth had fried chicken, hamburgers, and burritos. That was about it, from what I recall (although they did offer cold sandwiches and a few salads in their “grab and go” area.) The other food booth was Papa John’s pizza. Papa John’s turned out to be a BIG sponsor of the WEG. They actually donated all of the pizzas used to feed the volunteers. (Hooray for Papa John’s!)
However, realizing that volunteers would get really tired of pizza really fast, on alternating days volunteers were given a $12 food voucher for the other booth (or, for the especially lucky, the volunteer food service area at the indoor arena, an area so far away from my station that few volunteers I knew personally had been able to go there. This area had the same cooks and same food as the athlete’s dining hall next door. So it was reportedly great stuff!)
$12 sounds like a lot of food. But, in reality, it covered an entree. If you wanted anything to drink besides the half-consumed lukewarm bottle of water that you had brought into the park with you that morning, better get your wallet out. That’s an extra $3.75, please!
Hilariously, the geniuses behind the WEG had prepared “volunteer break areas” in three places around the Park. These were, invariably, located in the farthest reaches of the galaxy and most volunteers had A) Never seen one of them and B) Didn’t know that they even existed. The only reason that I knew they existed is because one of the duties of my volunteer team was making sure that these inaccessible areas were well stocked with a “water bubbler.” That’s WEG-speak for a water cooler.
Usually, my job involved checking in other volunteers and giving them their meal vouchers, punching their shift tracker cards, and giving them small, useless “rewards” based on how many shifts they had worked. Four shifts equaled a pin (an ordinary pin exactly like those sold at the souvenir stands), eight shifts was a lime green thing which most volunteers could not identify (it wraps around a luggage handle or shoulder strap, and has a WEG logo on it.) After 12 shifts, the reward was a collapsible cooler, again with a WEG logo.
Some other pins were given to us to hand out along with the luggage handle things. These pins were later deemed forbidden goods, as they did NOT have the sponsors name on them. So all of these pins not distributed will probably end up in a landfill. Other pins then showed up to take their place, the “new” pins were very old Christmas pins from 2006 and 2007. (Some of them had already been distributed by accident the first week of the Games when some of the volunteers, who didn’t know what the rewards were, had thought the Christmas pins were the 12th gift!)
If you have a Christmas pin, or one of the forbidden sponsor-less WEG pins, you have a neat collectible. (I wonder how many will end up on ebay?)
One of the volunteers had her Ariat volunteer jacket stolen right before the Games ended. She was the same size as I am, and she lived in Texas and had to leave the next day. I gave her my coat, which I had worn every day. It was terribly difficult to give my coat up, because I wasn’t sure I’d get another one, but thanks to Charlene and her husband, Amos, I was able to replace my jacket! Thanks, guys!

I am having a great time at the WEG. I volunteered for the early morning shift so I’d still be able to pick up Derek from school in the afternoon. Little did I know that morning shift meant getting up at 4:30 a.m.! (I feel terribly sorry for those folks who are commuting in from Louisville or Frankfort for these shifts. Some people are actually from out-of-state, I’ve met volunteers from Boston, Michigan and Colorado.)
I haven’t gotten to see any of the events (I bought one ticket, and it happens to be for a day that I can’t use it. At least, not without great personal expense! I’d have to hire a babysitter for several hours.
However, I have walked around (and ridden around in a golf cart) so I’ve been able to see the trade show and the Alltech Pavilion. The Cincinnati Aquarium has brought some penguins to be on display, but I haven’t seen those, yet.
I did find one booth that I just have to tell everyone about. It’s the Curvy Cowgirl booth. Now, this is a misnomer. It isn’t just for western riders. I went there looking for a pair of boots that would fit me. There is no English dress or field boot in the entire United States that will fit my calves. I would have to have them specially made (custom) at a cost of at least $1,000.
However, I do want to look nice at shows. We only go to fun shows, not super-serious big-time money shows. So I’ve been wearing my brown paddock boots with a pair of ugly, dirty, brown suede half chaps. The half chaps close with velcro (half chaps in the U.S. do NOT fit my calves, so I wasn’t able to buy any that zip up.) The velcro tabs do close the suede half chaps around my calves somewhat, but they leave unsightly gaps.
When I found the Curvy Cowgirl booth, I was happy to see that they carry a brand of show clothes from England called “Fuller Fillies.” Imagine that, show clothes and boots that fit me!
Well, I was able to find a great pair of nice leather half chaps that zip up around my monster-sized calves. No more unsightly gaps!
And, I was able to, at long last, have show boots that fit me.
Thank you, Fuller Fillies and The Curvy Cowgirl!!!
I mentioned to the woman in the booth that I had had to return boots that I’d ordered to a well-known English riding outfitter. She said, “You know, we tried to get that catalog to carry Fuller Fillies, but they turned us down. In fact, they were kind of rude about it. They said, ‘We don’t cater to that sort!’ ”
I am left to wonder, that sort of WHAT? Person with money? Money that is GREEN and that I spent somewhere other than your bleeping catalog?!!!
So I’m spreading the word. All you Curvy Cowgirls and English riders out there, there is a new store in the business, and it caters to OUR SORT of people! So spend lots of money there, and then write and tell Dover how much you didn’t spend in their catalog!

I finished my last training session for my volunteer position with WEG. It looks like it will be loads of fun, I’ll be working with lots of nice people.
Downsides: Carpooling. They are strongly suggesting carpooling to the site. Everybody from my work group lives in a widely-dispersed area, and any carpooling would mean we’d have to get up at around 4 a.m. in order to arrive at our shift on time. I’m not looking forward to that at all!
The other downside: Well, I shudder at getting up at 4 a.m., but really, 5 a.m. is just about as bad for me. (My shift would normally start at 6 a.m.)

It might be closer, it might be a long ways away (if ever.) But we’re still looking.
First of all, I have nothing but praise for our current house. It is a beautiful house in a great location. Derek walks to school. The neighbors are great, the crime rate is so small that it looks like a major crime wave when the neighbor’s gas can is stolen.
The house we currently live in is gorgeous. It was built during a time when taking aesthetics into consideration was considered mandatory. The proportions of every room are perfect. It is open and airy, yet retains every single one of its original interior (and exterior) doors and hardware. The only room that has been remodeled at any time is the kitchen, and that looks like it was updated in the 60′s. (Unfortunately, that meant the removal of the original cast iron sink and built-in draining board, which was replaced by a completely inadequate and shoddy model. Sigh.)
All of the windows are even original, which is a huge plus for me, as I hate vinyl replacement windows.
So why are we even looking at another house?
Well, that’s a good question.
There are several reasons, the main one being that it fits with our long term goal: to own a small farm. Why do we want the land? Well, we want to become more self-sufficient, we believe strongly in eating locally grown organic produce, and it would allow me to keep my horse much more economically. In fact, it would allow me to keep my horse for practically free if I could also board one or two other horses.
My horse has issues, every horse has issues. He would be very difficult to place in a new home because of these issues. His age is against him (he’s almost 20), his breed is against him (Arabians are NOT popular in Kentucky) and his gender (he’s a stallion, almost nobody wants a stallion on their farm.)
Despite what a well-known blogger claims, there is a point at which a stallion is “too old to geld.” At least, while it IS possible to have the surgery done at such an advanced age, it is NOT economically feasible. It would cost more than my horse is worth for him to be gelded, and that has been the case for as long as I’ve owned him.
Because he is such a well-mannered horse, having him as a stallion has never been a problem. I can ride him just fine around geldings, stallions and even mares in heat. I’ve taken him on trail rides and to shows, he knows how to behave properly and does so.
But I digress. Back to the farm. I have no problem waiting for a few years to buy a farm, but Kai might have an issue with that. He needs more economical accommodations, or he needs to find a new home.
So I emailed our real estate agent to see if any properties had come on the market that fit our specifications. There was only one in Scott County that had.
We went out to see it yesterday. The house is slightly smaller than our current house. There is only one bathroom. (That is a big negative for us.) There is no central air (another big negative.) There is a fireplace with a wood-burning stove attached. We can find no other way that the property is heated, there don’t appear to be any ducts in any of the rooms, but there is a propane tank outside.
There was a color brochure that gave pictures of and a description of the property, but no plat or map. There is a small garage, a very small old bunkhouse, a large pole barn with a cement floor, and that was, we thought, it. There was a large, old tobacco barn on the other side of the pole barn, but we didn’t inspect it because we thought it belonged to the adjacent parcel.
The pole barn was perfect for Brian’s workshop, but it had a cement floor, so wouldn’t be perfect for horses. And if he ever put a forge in there (one possibility) it wouldn’t be suitable for hay storage, either.
I thought I might have to use the garage for a stable, and was wondering how in the heck I could fit two stalls into it, and where I would put the hay.
On the way home, we laughed that we were even considering purchasing the property, it having only one bathroom and all.
But today, Brian looked up the parcel at his office, and sent me a map of it. Amazingly, the old barn is included in the parcel!
The land looked a lot more interesting to us. Brian wouldn’t have to share his pole barn, and the horses would have a nice barn instead of a dinky garage.
So we’re considering it.
I have to wonder why the selling agent didn’t even mention the old barn in the color brochure, or include a description of the dimensions of the parcel.

Here is a picture I took of Brian and Derek right before they left for a trip to Michigan.