notinKansasanymore

We've just learned that the public schools will be closed again tomorrow; third day in a row. Counting MLK day on Monday, the niKakids haven't been out of the house since they got home from school on Friday, by which time mr.niKa already had to go and pick them up with the four-wheel-drive. We still haven't run out of hot chocolate, whew. About time for another batch of homemade rolls and soup, though. Stay warm, everybody (except you, FellowFisher; you stay cooooool). love, niKa

Inkernet, welcome! I don't know the answer to your questions (are these people in the DC area? How widespread are they?), but someone will. It's interesting that this thread has attracted some relatively new posters. Welcome to you all.

Nice Fish.

Rich, I haven't had contact with any of these people for years. But back in the day, I knew Mark and Karen Anne, John, and John. John Schoenheit was one of the nicest, most level-headed people I had ever met. If you're telling me that now he's not, I will have to plead ignorance: very hopeful ignorance, that this sweet, God-loving man has not been changed over time. P. S. Rhino, you're a hoot. Thanks for the comic relief on such a sad thread. P.P.S: Elizabeth, if you're reading this, Rhino is tall and cute. P. P. P. S: Oh, no. Now I'm obviously going to Hell. :huh:

I don't believe that Mark will be able to prove defamation of character. As president of the organization, it was his responsibility to model proper membership behavior for others in the group. If the documents I've seen are any indication, he and Karen Anne appear to have played fast and lose with the lots of folks' characters and reputations. He and Karen Anne appear to have "set the standard" for what constituted "acceptable" levels of gossip, name-calling, innuendo, spider-nose-accusing, etc. That's one of the problems with trashing folks' reputations. I agree that Elizabeth has a much stronger case than do they; my personal opinion is that she should sue not only for defamation of character, but for alienation of her husband's affections.

Sooo, if Mark is out as their president, who's in? Dare I hope Schoenheit? I believe that he has his head on straight.

For the past several mornings, mr.niKa has gone out to get the paper, assumed a "surfer dude" pose, and slid all the way down the driveway. That still worked this morning. It's nothin' but slick out there. He's squiring us all around in the four-wheel-drive today. My old green van is going nowhere until the tires melt - they're frozen to the driveway. I'm headed over to earn my living; got my woolies on. Happy Day, everybody!

Weeeelllllll. Adrian Peterson has forgone his final year of collegiate eligibility to go pro. Oklahoma has been declared a Disaster Area. What do these things have in common? With OU Norman still holding classes tomorrow, while everything else ALL AROUND US is closed, it means that A.D. is the only OU kid who doesn't have to show up for class!!!

Pool party. Nice idea, but we'd have to call it the Polar Bear Club, and have paramedics standing by! Politics gives me enough of a cardiac arrest these days, without jumping into cold water. We all slept in today, on the last day of our enforced vacation. Even the cats were extra cuddly. Tomorrow, we have to get back out into the world. I'm revising my syllabus and getting my lectures together, and gathering my wits about me like a wool coat. Life moves ahead with regular steps, and comes around to meet us. Cup of coffee, anyone? By the way, Welcome, New Paradigm!

Nope. No cabin fever. If you could look out my windows, you'd know why. No fluffy snow; just hard pellets of sleet. Lots of 'em. Where it's not piled in drifts, it's fallen together and frozen into a thick layer of slickness. I will likely not place my toe out of the door until it's time to take the kids to school on Tuesday. Mr.niKa and his Jeep are in charge of all acquisitions. (translation: I don't have to get out, even to go to the store.) No snow angels; no snowmen; it's hard and crusty out there, and nothin' but coooooold. Hot chocolate, homemade soup, homemade bread and rolls: that's the ticket. Still no T.V.; this means lots of board games, puzzles, and reading BOOKS and singing songs. I just love a good book on a cold day.

Hi, all! We do have power, but evidently some aren't so lucky. We filled up the cars with gas, picked up stuff for soup, and got an extra candle or two, just in case. mr.niKa is here with us, which is nice (last time we were snowed in for three days, he was out of town). We're doing puzzles, playing chess, making bread, and enjoying one another's company. I'm also revising the syllabus (back to work on Tuesday) and trying to get the house as clean as I can (not very clean, but I'm trying) before everything hits ludicrous speed again. I went to the third specialist; nothing doing. Going to the fourth one next Friday. We'll get this foot thing figured out. I have hikes to hike, and I'm not just a-kidding.

Happy Birthday to my fellow Native Texan!!! I hope that the sunrise was spectacular, that the land will show you its bounty today, and that the day will exceed all of your expectations. love, niKa

Spring is Coming! I need to live somewhere that there's no winter. How early can I retire to South Texas? 'Course, mr.niKa wants us to retire to the Circue of the Unclimbables. Here's a quote about that: ""The Cirque of the Unclimbables" is the name given to a small cluster of peaks and walls in remote northern Canada, near the border of the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The Lotus Flower Tower, publicized in the book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America, is perhaps the most well known climb there. It is also home to the awesome Mt. Proboscis, an amazing hunk of granite with the easiest free route a fifteen pitch 5.12a!" A pitch is as far as one good climbing rope will reach. It's an occasional, running discussion that we've been having for years. Warm sun, crashing surf, and butterflies, or high altitude, extreme cold, and high winds? HHHhhhmmmmmmmm.

Congratulations on the medical stuff, Rocky! Happy Birthday, Tommy!

There is a condition called Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioning autism, in which children "just don't get" social interaction and social situations like other kids do. There are books published (not many) to help these kids "get it." Although your child doesn't have Asperger's, you can help learn how to clue him in to social situations by reading these books. Check out Amazon.com for some of these titles. One for parents is "It's So Much Work To Be Your Friend," about helping children with learning disabilities clue in to social interactions (there is an amazingly high correlation between academic learning disabilities and social awkwardness). One book for kids, if yours is old enough, is by a young man with Asperger's who wrote it with his child psychologist. The kid's name was Jarvis Clutch, and the book is "Jarvis Clutch, Social Spy." It's highly recommended by a child psychologist that I know. Good luck with this. It's important, and I'm glad you're taking steps to help your little one.

AWESOME game! When they showed the very first Boise State head coach, who began their football program in 1946, and is now 90 years old, watching from his box right before the game began, I knew that was bad juju for my Sooners! It's just really hard to feel bad about this game. Those kids played their hearts out, and the gutsy play at the end was classic. I hope that someone makes a movie out of it. Mr.niKa took his Dad up to Phoenix for the game; I stayed back with Grandma and the niKakids, and watched it on television. Grandma and I both had sore throats by the end. No matter how much I know they can't hear me ("Get him! Run! RUN!!"), I still exhort the boys in crimson and cream. Next year, another season.

Rocky: I haven't been up to the mountain for awhile, and mr.niKa has only been two or three times since the summer that the cabin burned down, to work on the lot with his Dad. I understand that my father in law has some new trees started up there, though. We'll rebuild when the time is right. Yeah, that was a great game, and I predict that somebody will make a movie out of the Boise State story. It's really hard to feel badly about the score, when taking into account how hard Boise State worked to get there. If we'd won, it would have been another big win. But for them, it was the biggest game in their school's entire history. Hey, good for them. It was a nail-biter, and they went for the two-point conversion to either win it or lose it on the last play of their turn at overtime. Then, the kid who made the winning play proposed to his head-cheerleader girlfriend, and she said "yes," right there on national television. It was just a cool night. Happy Thursday, everybody.

Honey, I'm Baaaa-aaaack! What a Spiffy New Website this is! Pawtucket must have been working nonstop! It's very nice. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everybody! How 'bout that Fiesta Bowl? What a fabulous game! The original Boise State coach, who began their football program in 1946, and is now 90 years old, was there in the stadium to watch his team beat the Sooners by one point in overtime. One of the best college football games I've ever seen. Mr.niKa took his Dad, while I stayed in Tucson with Grandma and the niKakids. It was a blast! Linda: you're sweet to ask. Thanks. The foot is still sick; we found something that was working, but I turned out to be allergic to it. I'm currently a spottedniKa, a very rare species indeed. Back to the specialist tomorrow, and back to the drawing board. Fellowshipper, it's great that you got rain. Your yard will be happy now. Tom, wish I could've been here when you came through. Maybe next time? If not, there's always next year's Barbecue. I've made a reservation with Mr.niKa for his babysitting services that weekend, whenever it is. Nanu Nanu from me, too, Rhino. Sounds like your full of plans for the Spring. Love to all of you, and best hopes for a fabulous year.

Good luck, PinkLady. I am praying for you!

Wow. I just read those documents. Where is Ted Patrick, now that we need him? But I wish that anything about this situation were funny. I agree with Socks in that folks should stay far, far away. Another thought is that even if Elizabeth has given her permission to have these documents posted, the first one, about the "prophetic" (my foot) things is hers alone to publish, and in my opinion stands for itself as a creepy, manipulative bunch of weirdness, sufficient to warn anyone with half a brain away from that group. But the second document is very personal, and is as much John's as Elizabeth's, and in my opinion, shouldn't be made available without his permission, also. It seems that their cult has a habit of writing public letters to one another, to air private grievances. That's just unseemly. It's no different than Craig ranting at the microphone. Okay, I know that my previous post said that we should pray for them, if they're trying to do God's will. If this is what they consider the doing of God's will, however, I don't want any part of helping that continue. I had no idea that things had gotten that weird. Made me think of the "God told me to tell you . . . to give me all your money" joke that Weirwille made in PFAL. He was making the point that God will speak to the individual. That makes sense to me. Dang. All of this junk has got me quoting Weirwille. Now THAT ticks me off.

Silly Rabbit! If memory serves, Piestewa Peak was renamed in honor of Lori Piestewa, the first female casualty of this war. She was an American Indian. She was the best friend of the girl who was severely injured, and rescued in that famous mission. I remember seeing a clip of a service for her; she was honored with the description: "our warrior sister." On another subject, please pray some more for my stupid foot. We thought that it was getting better, but the improvement slowed and stopped. I'm now on the fourth antibiotic (but the first three were all at the same time), and it's getting very slowly worse. Going to see a specialist tomorrow. I did make it through finals week without having to go back into the hospital, but at this point, I want them to put me in there and pump me full of the good junk, to get rid of this. If you don't hear from me for a few days, that's probably what's up. It puts a serious crimp in my plans to hike Aravaipa Canyon with mr.Nika during the holidays, and I've had just about enough of it. Thanks for your love and your prayers. this is me soon P.S., Lori Piestewa left behind two children. If you ever run across any kids hiking up that mountain, might be them.

Well, then let's PRAY for them. If they're having troubles, and if their original intention was to serve God and help His people (and we can all recall that this is not a goal without natural obstacles, both those that the Devil throws in front of folks, as well as those that they throw in front of themselves, being PEOPLE), then let's ask God to help them figure it out, so that His people can still be helped. I don't know all of them. And haven't seen any of them for years. But what I remember of those whom I did know, back in the day, is a heart to love God and serve His people. I hope that they end up okay.

I can't see the mounains, either. Oh, wait. I'm in central Oklahoma. There aren't any. Come to think of it, I can't see the ocean, either. Must be Fellowshipper's haze. I can't see the forest, either, but it isn't for the trees. When I make jokes that are this bad, you know that it's finals week. Oh, Lord, save me.

Hi, All. I just checked out the Wikipedia entry for TWI, and it says that Craig announced at ROA '95 that none of the 1st Corps were still with the ministry, and that he announced a "new" 1st Corps - folks like Don Wierwille and Dorothy Owens, etc. Interesting, as I was long gone by then. Does anyone remember the names of the actual 1st Corps members? Another question: Wikipedia says that Dr. disbanded the Zero corps for "reasons that were never made public." Does anyone remember who was in that group, or why they were disbanded? I kind of always had the feeling that those first folks didn't buy into the groupthink as much as Dr. wanted / needed them to, for his idea of "Corps." Maybe they're just lucky that they got out before the rush.

What beautifully spoken, heart-filling answers. Please, sirguessalot, send yours off to be a published poem. PM me if you want. What a difficult question to ask, and what tender answers. Our parents, "the greatest generation," lifted their burdens together. As they pass out of the circle, we come to our places, and lift. As some of us begin to follow our parents out, the young begin to step into place, beside and between us, in preparation to take up their whole burdens. After them will come their children. We learned from those who lifted before us. So do our young. This has gone on for awhile, and will continue. It is the natural way of life, and I embrace it. But I'm also sticking around until I get my 100, if I have any say in the matter. Yes, I'd have to agree with the "gusto" thing. On belay!!