VALENTINUS ~ Bishop, Martyr and Saint

Happy VD!

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It is impossible for me to treat this holiday with anything but tongue in cheek humor.

St. Valentine....

Historically, little is known of him or who he truly might have been. His name might have been "Valens" - the latin for "something of worth" and one of many early bishops martyred in the 3rd or 4th Century by the vestiges of a failing Roman Empire.







"...the Catholic Church's official list of recognized saints, the Roman Martyrology lists seven: a martyr (Roman priest or Terni bishop?) buried on the Via Flaminia (February 14); a priest from Viterbo (November 3); a bishop from Raetia who died in about 450 (January 7); a fifth-century priest and hermit (July 4); a Spanish hermit who died in about 715 (October 25); Valentine Berrio Ochoa, martyred in 1861 (November 24); and Valentine Jaunzarás Gómez, martyred in 1936 (September 18)." -Wikipedia

The martyrdom of anyone for the sake of Christ's Church is not to be taken lightly. However, that is what has been done to the memory of Valentine. Our culture has turned the remembrance and celebration of an early church Father into a schmaltzy and vapid day to "celebrate" carnal love.

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There are better icons which could be raised and venerated....objects of desire, with attributes considered physically beautiful. Norma Jean is probably the best known from the last century:

And yes, she is/was a delightfully sensous physical being and highly intelligent! There is no denying that fact. Sadly, she martyred herself to the Hollywood cause...a gentle and sensitive spirit ravaged by false dreams, and run to ground by the slavish, insatiable hounds of Media Hell.

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Then there are those who look at life through decidely off-the-wall attitude towards love and take that attitude to the grave....with a sense of humor!!!!!

So...to all my friends who visit and any others who might stumble onto this humble Blog....Here's wishing a blessed and truly love (agape, filial, eros and koinonia) filled St. Valentines Day!!!

Seven League Boots

Road Trip!

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Driving the Blue Highways:

Bernardo to Galisteo,

New Mexico

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We drove into Socorro near sunset in blustery, unsettled weather. It had been a long day's drive from Green Valley, AZ following Interstate 10 east across to the Hatch turnoff, then north on Interstate 25.

Interstate -25 runs through central and southern New Mexico following the line of the Rio Grande from just south of Santa Fe all the way to the border in El Paso Texas.

Most of the drive is delightful, filled with pastoral scenery or stunning mountain vistas. However, the section of freeway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe can be painfully slow during rush hour. We realized when we packed up the next morning that we would enter Alburquerque at the height of the morning rushhour...No thanks:

A quick look at the Road Atlas gave us an alternate route on two lane highways, bypassing the metroplex that has become Santa Re/ Albuquerque. We exited I-25 at Bernardo and headed east on U.S. 60. Just as we crossed the Rio Grande, a huge flock of blackbirds poured across the sky in the sunrise:

Highway 60 from the river to the foothills is one of those infamous "gunbarrel" straight two lanes that run across so much of the desert Southwest. The photograph in the blog title was taken looking back westward towards I-25 about 12 miles from the turn off. The mountain massif in the back ground is Ladron Peak (9,176ft), one of the many oddball geological singularity uplifts that dot southern New Mexico and Arizona. Looking north we saw the tail end of Los Pinos Moutain range. The highway would take us through the foothill to the eastern edge, through Mountainair and the turnoff north onto State Highway 41:

To the south we watched as the sun washed across the the aptly named White Face Mountains. Scattered herds of white face Herefords and Angus cattle grazed in the bitter cold morning:

Sometime near mid-morning, we crossed Interstate 40 at Moriarty and said a quick hello to the infamous old Route 66. The next stop was to stretch our legs and take a couple of pics in the quintessential little town of Galisteo. Its one claim to fame is its long row of garish, brilliantly painted mail boxes all lined up across the street from the Catholic church:

From Galisteo, it is a short drive north to Lamy, where the two lane meets up with Interstate 25 just outside of Santa Fe. I wish that we would have had more time to explore the two lane roads all the way back to Denver.

"Caleb" is a comfortable and dependable road car, easy to drive and easy on fuel:

Remembrance

The Colorado Freedom Memorial

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Time and again America has called on Colorado's sons and daughters to defend the world's freedom. Thousands who answered the call never returned.

- DO YOU KNOW WHO THEY WERE?

Over 6,000 Colorado veterans left their homes, and our communities to make the world a better place.

- HOW WILL YOU HONOR THEIR SACRIFICE?

The Colorado Freedom Memorial gives us all a place to pay respects to the memory of those that did not return. The Memorial will be constructed of glass that will reflect Colorado's mountains and blue skies. 14-feet tall and 125-feet long, the glass panels will be etched with the names of the over 6000 who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Privates, Generals, MIAs, Civilians, all wars and all branches of service, honored in one place. There is NO memorial in America like it.

Contact:

Colorado Freedom Memorial Foundation

P.O. Box 472333

Aurora, CO 80047-2333
Phone: 303-248-3990

Rick Crandall - email: rc1430@comcast.net

February ....It Sucks

Cruel February

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"February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 in the old Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period...."

"Historical names for February include the Anglo-Saxon terms Solmonath (mud month) and Kale-monath (named for cabbage) as well as Charlemagne's designation Hornung. In Finnish, the month is called helmikuu, meaning "month of the pearl"; when snow melts on tree branches, it forms droplets, and as these freeze again, they are like pearls of ice." -Wikipedia

The photo above was taken about 10 days ago. It was shortly after one of those racing Canadian Clippers had blown south along the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The temps that evening were in the low 20's. Denver would feel the Arctic chill that night as the thermometer dropped below zero. Notice the snow on the north side of the tree behind me....THAT, beloved, was applied by the wind, blowing out of the north.

Contrast this photo with the one above. This photo was taken today whilst Nate (West River-Nathaniel "No Fear") and I walked along Clear Creek, just a few blocks from our home. It was nearly 65 degrees. I was growing quite warm in my flannel shirt.

AND....The ducks were out!

February can be a cruel month for expatriate desert rats like myself. I don't ice fish. I no longer ski. All the major hunting seasons are closed. AND...its usually grey and brown...and cold and snowy.

I have learned to befriend the Cabin Fever which comes to visit. It arrives with wearysome regularity, every February. The reverberant joys of the Holiday season fesitivities have passed. The novelty of new snow becomes just another chore...in the biting cold...one more damn time! Most of what are called fresh vegetables are not. The standard tomatoes at market taste like cardboard, the carrots are limp and greens are watery and devoid of flavor. Although the nights grow shorter and the days longer...It seems impossible that Spring will ever return.

OH YES.....and there are still GOOD EATS available:

- Oven Broiled Lamb Chops

- Steamed Brussel Sprouts

- Baked Potato w/ Butter and Fresh Chives

- Spinach/Raddicio/Endive and Grape Tomato Salad

AND, I stock up on spicy Mex/Italian foodstuffs, prepare for Lent and make certain that the Red Wine Jug is always full!

Woodworking - Part V

Western/Lodge Furniture

Many mountain home owners choose to furnish them with Western style and Lodge style furnishings. Much of it is rustic, bulky, heavy with iron fittings and leather or hair on cowskin upholstery.

The following pieces give a glimpse into the semi-refined style of Lodge furnishings constructed to fit in with the Western lifestyle.

(1) Writing Desk with wrought iron "oxbow" stretcher and drawer handles: 65" wide X 28" deep X 30" high. Rough hewn Western Alder finished with shellac and dark wax.

(2) Bedside table, 28" wide X 18" deep X 32" high. Common grade, highly figured Alder, finished with shellac and dark wax.

(3) Bedside table, 28" wide X 18" deep X 32" high. Common grade Alder with rusticated panel drawer fronts and door panels and a Texas star in the base mold. The top is skinned with dark brown leather.

(4) Wine Service Cabinet, 54" wide X 22" deep X 48" high. Common grade Alder with painted drawer fronts and a shellac/ dark wax finish.

(5) Corner bedroom entertainment cabinet, 42" wide X 26" deep X 84" high. Constructed of of Common grade Alder with rusticated panel doors, applied accent details and a small TV pull out and adjustable shelves for electronics. The back center is made to allow for eletronic wire management. The unit is finished with a subtle cherry stain, shellac and dark wax.

And that, beloved ones, is a quick tour of the work I have been gifted to create over these last 25/27 years.