[Arktwo] What happened?

[Bruce Beach]

I don't know - 
but when I later went back out 
to the garage to turn out the lights 
I saw that the chop saw 
was flipped over on its side - 
at the other end of the bench, 
and had part of my glove 
in its exhaust. 

Happened so fast - 
that I don't know what happened. 
Fortunately, 
Jean is good at stopping blood flow.
Still, 
I noticed she had quite a bit to clean up 
in the bathroom 
a couple of hours later. 

We should go to emergency, she said. 
No, said I. 
It is getting dark and it is too far -
with the roads icy and all.
The next morning when she suggested stitches - 
I explained they wouldn't do them - 
after that long. 

Went to bed for the next day. 
I am such a wussy about these things. 
I named three people that we know 
who would have just wrapped it up 
and kept working. 

Never sure about these things. 
Now it has gone dead white. 
No pain now. 
So just wrapping it in gauze - 
so air will get to it. 
Still slacking off. 
That is why I am taking time to write. 

Behind almost 900 emails. 
Have been able to keep up with 
requests for shelter building -
which have been accelerated 
during the last months -
but that is about it. 

Two weeks ago we were snow bound 
and the roads were closed - 
and then last week we got a January thaw. 
Lots of help came - 
some staying overnight -
and kept me so busy 
I couldn't do emails. 

I spent an hour shovelling  
what the snowplough had put in front 
of the road into the shelter. 
Once I got through that barrier 
we were able to just drive in. 

Batteries were down 
on Perkins Diesel - 
but the CAT which starts with a pup 
that is started by a rope - 
started right up. 

Always lots of work to do. 
We need to fix a leak 
in the water settling tank. 
Three members of Ark Two worked on that. 
Two of those, and another, 
also helped rebuild the wood splitter - 
which I had turned into spaghetti - 
and a fifth member brought us four pick-up loads of wood. 
Still a sixth member came 
to work on the worm farm.
We still have to fix the settling tank.

Had to take advantage 
of the weather and help - 
when it is available. 
Glad I wasn't laid up then. 
Not sure whether I should 
just keep cutting away the dead skin - 
or what. 
Guess I will give it a couple more days. 

I don't know what happened 
with the Dow Stock Market 
and the USDX either. 
Both doing their usual dithering around. 
Usual for late that is -
although the market is down today. 
Each time it does that - 
I think "Here we go!" 
But then it is back the next day.
 
Dollar going down over long term - 
but yesterday made a giant leap upwards - 
suddenly - 
without warning - 
for no reason that I could see - 
of a half cent 
(which is a lot). 
The only thing that I can figure - 
is that the government did it. 
PPT and all that. 

Oh, well, 
in spite of my dire concerns - 
about Bush and his trip -
the Bank reports last week - 
the Derivatives issues - 
and so forth - 
the world continues to rock on, 
even though each day I think - 
maybe this is it.

Miraculously, we continue on also at Ark Two. 
Okay, 
so we didn't get the fuel bill paid.
As I say to Jean, 
we needed this exercise 
to get up to speed on wood heating. 
Before, we didn't have a wood splitter, 
or a chop saw, 
or the wood cook stove in the dining room.
A lot of skills involved - 
that we needed to get up to speed. 

Still need to find a solution 
for the mortgage, 
that we haven't paid even for December. 
Have thought of a possible solution. 

Haven't ever sold spaces in the shelter - 
and I don't want to do that - 
but some of the fellows think that 
we could interest people in the city 
in our Oasis farming project. 

They could participate in our 
group agricultural effort - 
and grow some special things 
of their own 
if they wanted to. 
The idea would be to involve 20 families -
for two hundred dollars per month. 
The person that goes out to recruit them - 
would get half the money - 
but that would still give us an income 
of $2000 per month to pay the mortgage - 
and keep us here. 
Now - 
to find the person in the city 
that can do the recruiting. 

The Oasis theme is food security - 
but if the great catastrophe should occur - 
then we would of course 
still take the families into the shelter.

Desperate times - 
call for desperate measures 
and as you can see 
we are starting to get desperate. 

In reality, 
these are times of enjoyment for us. 
When we are snowbound - 
(as we may be soon again) 
then I can lay back 
(after catching up on the emails) 
and have time to think. 

Looking back over life - 
and what all my professors 
tried to teach me - 
and the ideas that they struggled with - 
all sorts of things 
are finally beginning to make sense 
to me. 

Free book on the Internet 

http://www.juxta.com/content/view/17/31/ 

that I finished carefully reading 
a week ago - 
and am re-reading quite carefully again. 
Only 115 pages of actual text.

It is about philosophy and mathematics 
and won't be everyone's cup of tea - 
but if you should read it - 
I would be delighted to hear from you 
that you have. 

Ahhh - philosophy. 
Life is such a struggle for so many.
Philosophers included. 
But - hopefully for them, 
it at least has meaning. 

I hear from so many, many people - 
that have such serious problems - 
so I shouldn't worry about 
the little dings that I get - 
or the state of our finances. 
So many people in the world - 
are completely without food - 
or the necessities of life. 

We have so many marvellous things 
happen to us. 
We took Jema back for breeding - 
but missed her heat - 
which was only two days this time. 
So she is back with us until July. 

I told you that Printer graduated. 
We were afraid the boy 
to whom she was assigned 
wouldn't accept her. 
Autistics can be strange - 
and he had a dog before 
(not a service dog) 
but he only got to know the tail. 
Like the head wasn't attached to it. 

This boy is a bit older than usual. 
The child is supposed to be between  
six and eleven. 
He is twelve - 
but the family had been waiting for two years.
They have two autistic children. 
Four children altogether and the boy is the oldest. 

Besides autism - 
he is severely retarded. 
Lots of autistic kids 
have all sorts of problems.
This young fellow also has saw tooth leg. 
If you saw Forest Gump 
with his leg braces 
and how he ran leaning forward - 
that is how this fellow runs also. 

The problem is - 
his mother also has saw tooth leg 
and can't run after him. 
She really needed the dog. 

Because Printing House put up the full $18,000 sponsorship - 
there was a party - 
and we got to meet Printer's family. 
Really impressed. 
The mother works at the University - 
and I think is also working on her doctorate 
in International Studies. 
The father is an EMT.

I took along Printer's treat purse as a gift 
and told Printer to take it to the mother. 
I explained to her that you could tell Printer 
to go get her purse 
from another room 
and that she would.

I also told her that Printer 
would sit pretty 
and hold a treat on her nose. 
I don't know if the organization 
liked me teaching her tricks - 
but I taught her to do one thing 
they asked us not to. 
I taught her to cuddle. 
I wouldn't let her up on other furniture - 
but I let her sleep with me. 
The parents get a week's training 
with the dog.

Heard the first of the year from the mother. 
They had gone on a Christmas trip 
and stayed in a motel room - 
two adults, four children and the dog. 
Then they had gone out to restaurants - 
and to walk in the mall. 
Afterwards the father and other children 
went to visit the grandmother, 
and the mother, boy and Printer 
went home on the train. 

The mother said the ride was unbelievable. 
Usually autistic children can't be controlled 
but she told Printer to sit 
and since the child was tied to Printer  
they both sat. 

Printer sleeps with boy. 
She immediately identified 
who she was associated with.
The boy also accepts her.
When the mother gets up in the morning 
Printer hears her 
and opens the door with her nose. 
If the boy doesn't get up 
as soon as Printer thinks he should - 
then Printer goes and licks his face - 
and he giggles. 

Jean and I are so gratified. 
I kind of choke up - 
just writing this. 
Such a blessing. 

Picture of Printer at:

	www.webpal.org/nsd/

A friend who works with autistics 
brought us a video today called 
After Thomas. 
See it if you get a chance. 
It is highly recommended - 
at least in our circles -
that are concerned about Autistics.
Haven't seen it yet ourselves - 
because I am having trouble 
hooking up the tape drive.

I have had more enemies 
than anyone I personally know - 
but we are also blessed 
with many, many, many friends. 
I have told you about so many 
that have come by to help this week -
and there are also many from a distance. 
One very generous friend sent us $600.

I didn't know they were sending $600 
and they didn't know 
that the loan manager had told me 
that I had to have $600 
in for the mortgage by a certain day.
We started down to the meeting that day 
without the money - 
but Jean had gotten a notice that day in the mail - 
(she didn't know who it was from) 
to pick up a registered letter. 
We stopped to pick up the letter - 
and she came back to the car all smiles.

One has to be there for miracles - 
in order to understand them. 
There is such good in this world - 
and such evil. 

A friend sent me a URL to look at - 
that was unbelievably evil. 
I won't tell you where it is - 
but they are sending a gift 
to the first one thousand people 
who will say that they do not believe in God - 
and who will blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 

They apparently were having many takers. 
One finds - 
what they look for. 
Even more than what they look for. 
For certainly God has blessed us 
in so many ways 
that I can't count them - 
nor could have even imagined 
asking for them. 

I hope that you too have such blessings. 

Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org