The Greeks had several words to better describe different types of “love” that occur:

Agapē-is the godly love-unconditional, based on principle

Storgē-is familial love-the love we have for our children
Philia-is a non-sexual love-love of friends
Eros-is sexual love between people

It seems than many people confuse what love is. Even as concise as the ancient (and modern for all I know) Greeks had it, there still is no easy way to define all aspects of it.

There is no ‘set’ definition that fits all, so choose what you can and enjoy what you have. I know I have and always will have all aspects.

Especially Eros

‘The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light.’

The Countdown is on! The final Wheel of time book, will be three books, with The Gathering Storm being the first installment. I sure hope that this is more than a way to get more money for publishing more books based upon an authors name. The quality is there to support that quantity is tradition follows, and with Jordan’s editor/widow in the thick of it there is no reason for it not to be, especially at 748 pages as given on the site linked below.

OK, we all know I run on a MAC. However, I often need to sit at a Windows machine. Much fun is made of the conspiracy of keeping MAC down and the competition between them. However I came across this video and find it great that the Two big guns are able to sit down and have a bit of fun together.

That being shown… I also ran into an article about Windows 7 and how 83% of businesses and not planning on upgrading even tho XP is days from the end of support and no longer has service pack releases. For the most part MAC users look forward to the few bug fixes, feature improvements and NEW features that come with a new OS release. This does NOT seem to be the case with Windows as can be read in the following article from Information Week.

Through Dianna, new fiance and wonderful person, I have been forced to expand my knowledge. I now have begun to learn how to code css much deeper and have been prompted to learn template building/modifications above and beyond what I have wanted to in the past.

One example is this site, Find and Convert, the company that she works for, virtually from home. This link is to their blog which I have the privilege of working on. The main site is handled by another company. Here is a sample of a post the boss has made about Twitter. (I made the re-tweet button using available clip art as a base) Bernie is using twitter to full advantage and has been open and informative about the potential it holds.

This is a post from Early March that I did not finish during the original session.

Again I find myself in a state of flux. I decided to not seek full time employment, and the work had absolutely flooded me, more than I can reasonably do. Which is good. But this has happened before, then when all is caught up not enough to keep the bills paid. I am going on the assumption that either work will come in steady, or I will grow in another. I have a plan, seemingly good support, and motivation. I just need time.

Other news, I have had another photo session. there was a plan in mind so not a whole lot of creativity was used. Next time, and it should be soon, I will be ready to deal with the issues that came up. Like a sync cord shorting out on me half way through! I now have a radio slave for the flashes which will help.

Over all things are looking up, and will continue to do so!

A lot has happened in the almost 2 months, it is late so I will just hit some high points.

The big news is that I quit my job, then agreed to work part time doing the commercial printing. I now have the time to do what I need for my business, and still can make a bit of money.

It is cold, it is warm, a mild winter so far, but the cold snaps we have had have been -11 & -21 below fortunately neither lasted long. I can remember growing up when cold spells were 24 below and lasted a week and a half to two weeks.

The friend is still a friend, but at times tentative, communication is poor.

Where are we all going in life? Really, what is the meaning to it all? Can’t be money like most people think, this is a new concept. Procreation? There has to be more to it than that, as much fun as it is still not enough.

I don’t think there is one answer to this question.

The answer is deep within each of us, we all have our own reasons for being here. The trick is to find what YOUR purpose it and to do the best you can in just being yourself.

My goals are becoming more focused for me, it just takes time to get everything in line with what needs to be done. Sometimes it seems that other people have the goal in life to hinder others and bring everyone else down.

I am learning to deal with these people as well and figuring out how to work around them. When I have everything where it needs to be the world had better watch out, because I am going to take my little part like a storm and make good!

On July 1st I took devil to a training demonstration in Great Falls. He had been gone for a day. The first time Millie was separated from him since I got him. When I got home that night and was taking his halter off Millie came running up, spun and let loose on me. It was a small kick as horse kicks go. But she hit my hamstring and must have done some damage. Yesterday was the first day I have been able to ride my bike without pain and cramping.

On December 3rd My bloodhound Bud passed on, leaving a void in our lives as big as his 120 pound stature. He would have only been 3 in May and was just maturing enough for us to see the old hound dog on the porch coming out in him.

The cold of winter had just begun setting in in Conrad. Saturday afternoon I bathed him and clipped his nails so he could become an indoor dog for the winter. A 120 pound bloodhound is not my idea of a perfect indoor dog, but I did enjoy him inside. The cats are used to him, but the kittens we had at the time were still freaking out when he came by. I can’t say I blame them. He could take them in his mouth in one chomp if he had wanted to. However their mom loved him and snuggled to him all of the time so they were quickly accepting him.

We put him outside so we could grind Conner’s first deer without being pestered, I don’t know if all people have smelled the malicious odor that venison produces in a dog, but it is not to be soon forgotten. About an hour after he was outside he began to whine. This was very out of character for Bud. He was a quiet hound, unless he was protecting the house. He tracked silently and did not run after a scent like some hounds do. He never barked unnecessarily and really howled only a couple of times in the almost 2 years I had him. We figured he was cold and just wanted in so he went into his kennel, which was almost too small for him so he was seldom left in there unless we were gone. The whining continued. I thought it must be because of the smell of meat, so out he went again. This time I figured it was feeding time so fresh water and a scoop of food went out with him. He looked at the food and laid down under the solar panel.

Not good.

I had been told many times to watch for a twisted stomach and followed all of the recommendations I had been given as to when to run before and after a meal and such, but I suspected this may have been it evan if he had not been run this day because of the cold. When I patted his stomach it sounded hollow, but was not sensitive so I let him back in the house. He walked in slowly, and immediately went downstairs. When he got to the bottom he slipped in the step and stumbled. He had done this before. He was kinda gangly and the stairs are linoleum so snow on his feet made it slick. I tried calling James, who I had gotten Bud from, and he said call the vet right away. I already had the phone book open to call Dick at home as it was Sunday night at about 6:00. After a few questions we agreed to meet at the clinic in a half hour.

I spent sometime with Bud to make sure he was comfortable, left him with Conner an left to get some stuff around the house done. He was lethargic but still responsive. In about 10 minutes I went out to bring the car around back and came in the back door. Conner had moved to the couch so Bud was not in his line of sight. I saw one of Bud’s hind legs jerk so I went down stairs to find him convulsing. I checked his breathing and heard nothing, but thought I could hear a faint heartbeat. I called Dick and told him what was happening. I still owed the clinic some money for some shots for the horses, Dick asked me how I was going to pay for this emergency visit. I said “I don’t know, I will find the money somewhere, but I can’t let Bud go like this.” He said “That is all I need to hear, I will meet you at the clinic right away.

Conner took a blanket out to the car and spread it on the back seat as I carried Bud out. We live about a mile from the clinic and Dick lives about 4 miles out of town. As soon as we pulled up I got out to check on him and Dick came around the corner. He had wasted no time. I told him I though Bud was gone. He looked in the car and got no response either. The convulsions had ended and he was getting cold. “This dog should not be dead” Dick said. “His skin is not even tight. I have had dogs walk in that can hardly fit through the door and two days later they walk out.” After making sure he was in fact gone we chatted for a while. I asked for a post-mortem exam. Both Conner and I needed to know what had happened.

Dick explained that sometimes when the stomach twists it constricts the main vein that returns blood to the heart. Bud’s gums and tung were almost white so this may have been what happened. The next day at 8:30 I got a call at the newspaper. His stomach had indeed constricted the vein, however that was not the direct cause of death. The backed up blood had caused the spleen to enlarge to the size of the liver. What we think happened was the slip on the stairs burst the spleen. I was told “Wade, even if I was in the house with you with my med kit when this happened I don’t think I could have saved him, it just exploded.”

I think it will be a while before another dog comes into my life, and when it does happen I doubt it will be a hound. He killed my south lawn by peeing roundup, chewed up the apple tree, the remote to my DVD player, and many other things that all puppies do, however, I would not have traded his time with me for time with any other dog. He was loyal, protective of me and mine, smart in a bloodhound way, and yet gentle with children and small animals. Well as gentle as a 120 pound puppy can be. He was even protective of the children the neighbor baby-sat. He would lay in the yard and watch them play. When an adult come around the corner he would growl and let his presence be known until a known adult showed up, then he would lay back down and go back to sleep. Out on the farm he would stick close by me unless I got on the tractor, then he was off and running. Even with his nose to the ground he was aware of me and what I was doing. He returned to check up on me about every 15 minutes regardless of what I was doing, and when the tractor went back in the shed he came running up and was ready to start running down the road to get home.

For about 2 weeks every time I pulled up to the house I fully expected him to be stretching his chain to the limits to peek around the corner to see me, his tail wagging wildly. Every time he was not there my heart broke a little bit more. The expectation of seeing him there is gone, but the desire to see him faithful waiting for my return still had not completely gone away.

All of us who lived with, knew, and dealt with Bud will miss him.

Conner got his first deer on the 19th of Nov. 2005. It was about a 75 yard single shot that took out the top of its heart, perfect shot! We were East of Lincoln on a friends ranch. Conner was after a nice 4 point that took off down the river when this one walked out of the trees. The bigger one was GONE so he took this one. Dad on the other hand missed a closer shot at a broadside standing deer. Guess I need more shooting time.