Saturday, December 06, 2008

Mei Mei's first dance recital!


having fun!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
So I had the good fortune to take Mei Mei to her dance show at a local nursing home today! What fun! It was so cute to watch all of these local kids putting on a heck of a show for these folks! Some of the residents were falling asleep, one that I know of could not hear the music though it was pretty loud and the rest enjoyed the show thoroughly! The dance instructor made sure that some of the Christmas songs that were sung/performed would be familiar to the elderly as songs that they sang when they were kids too! This was just too much fun.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Tender Love


Tender Love
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
Wilbur passed away on Monday, 2 days after Meeshee did. Though Meeshee was struck by a car, Wilbur had cancer. Two dogs in as many days was extraordinarily tough on Kim and myself. Wow.

On a better note, Dallas turns 16 soon! He passed his driving school test and so Kim took him to get his temporary permit, which he received with flying colors too! Kim let him drive home, which was about 20 miles, mostly rural roads but it took 45 minutes and was a white knuckle ride! Breath Dallas! Breath! He's very cautious! For now...

We are getting our first snow/flurries of the season finally! Day time temps are now in the 40's! Most of the leaves have dropped from the trees now and Old Man Winter is settling in nicely.

My dad is doing great! He plans on visiting us here in Wisconsin in the spring or early summer! Yippeee! Amen too! Wow.

Don't forget to drop by to my Flickr website to see the family! ;-)

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Rest in Peace Meesheebelle!

A truly amazing dog. My mom picked up this mutt in Puerto Rico as a puppy and was not expected to live long. 10 years later and thousands of miles under her collar, she was hit by a car and died as a result of a head injury. This warm weather, Puerto Rican Sato dog has been with us throught the thick and thin of everything! Fiercely loyal and protective of us all, she would nip at the heals of anyone that she did not know if they came into our yard. Funny thing about this dog is that she would always dance with her paws spread out wide! She would spin clockwise only and absolutely loved to spend all her time with us no matter what we were doing. Heck, she made it through three cold Kansas winters and three Wisconsin winters too! This tropical short haired dog did it all! She is being sorely missed by us all.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

A Perfect Day


frosted seedpods
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
Today was perfect in almost every way... I've been waiting for this day for a few weeks now and it all came together perfectly! Almost. Kim went to Michigan to p/u a Chow puppy and was therefore not w/us today. No, we did not get another dog! She was picking up and delivering said puppy to her good friend Meredyth. Happy girl.

We all got up around 6 A.M. to let out the dogs, have breakfast and coffee, and load up the cars for our various trips. I hate waking up before 8 or so on the weekends but today was special. Though Kim would be heading on a long two day journey, I would have both of our children w/me and we had plans man! We had plans! I had made sure that both of our cameras had fully charged batteries and that we had plenty of snacks and drinkables for the day. We all said our good bye's, hugs and kisses and well wishes and departed at 7. I have never been to the town of Navarino but that was not going to dampen my mood! I was very optimistic and a blackberry device w/gps! No problem. Various members of the Flickr community had also written out instructions on how to arrive at the Navarino Nature Center, I simply had no idea how long it would take and we had an 8 o'clock appointment! Too bad that I did not leave earlier as the morning was foggy everywhere! I just love fog. Everything takes on a different cast and feel to it that I just itch to photograph. Speaking of photography, that was the thrust of our journey today! Dallas and I, armed with digital cameras, were going to go and shoot up a storm! We have been unable to go hunting w/our bows and arrows but by golly we can sure hunt with our Canons! Well, my Canon and our Kodak actually but who cares! The day was young...

As the miles wore on, I became increasingly worried that I would not make it in time and that whoever was waiting for us at the center, would either leave, or take a hike without us! What would I do then? I hate missing appointments no matter what the reason. We passed many spectacular sights along the way, considering that we were driving through beautiful undeveloped Wisconsin! I absolutely love the country! The forests in the fall? Simply awe inspiring. Well, I finally saw a sign that pointed to Navarino and it was just 18 miles away and I figured that we would make it just fine but as we got within a few miles of our destination, another thought hit me... I don't carry cash! What if the center charges admission? Now THAT thought gave me goosebumps! So close and yet so far? Hey Dallas, do YOU have any money on you? NO???? Ouch. This was going to hurt. Wait a minute though. Since when does a nature center charge admission anyway? We weren't going to a national park! Whew! Sure enough, as I wound through the streets, following the signs, I knew that we would be fine and OOPS! I nearly passed the entrance as the native grasses were so tall and frosty that I did not expect the sign and entrance to be inconspicuous! Stomping on the brakes and causing some of our cargo and my children to tip forward, I turned into the road that led into the nature center. Hmmm... Looks bare. I passed a lady by the side of the road but she was not holding a camera as I expected so I drove on and parked the truck. There was only one other vehicle there and I figured that it belonged to the person that were going to meet at 8! That also meant that it was the same person that I passed just a few seconds ago! As I am unloading Mei Mei and our camera gear, the same friendly looking lady walked up to us and I immediately knew that this was Dawn, whom had set this whole trip up and had driven from Oshkosh (an hour and a half!) to be here this crispy morning! Perfect! We made it. Now what? No one else was there but I did not see anything either in the immediate vicinity that indicated a center of any sort! Trust Dawn, she knows what she is talking about and had made this place sound good earlier and even posted links for fall foliage reports! Let's go take a hike.

After introductions and some small talk, we veered off into the woods, following a track that had been made by some heavy equipment and we wandered off into the woods. Did I mention that it was a 'crispy' morning?! The thermometer in the truck indicated 27 degrees fahrenheit! I had not bundled Mei Mei up enough so I put my fleece sweater and scarf on her. There is no cuter 4 year old anywhere! Anyway, we could hear many Sandhill Crane in and around the area and I was happy to hear Dawn talking about the birds and local plants. This gal is passionate about the outdoors! I certainly hope that we can meet again.

It seemed like we had not been walking for more than 10 or 15 minutes when Mei Mei started complaining that it was cold and that her feet hurt! Uh oh daddy. What do you do now in the middle of nowhere and no other plan to fall back on? Dallas to the rescue! He wrapped her up a little better in the sweater and picked her up for awhile! Good job brother! What a great bunch of kids! We continued walking and talking and occasionally snapping a shot of leaves and trees and before we knew it, we had arrived back at the start! Not only had the temperature come up but we had warmed up due to the hike also and I was bummed to be finished so soon! Only an hour? Wow. Dawn then mentioned that she had passed an interesting cemetary on the way in so we drove over to explore it and learn a little history.

A couple of miles later we arrived at the location and once again we piled out of our vehicles, camera in hand. A quaint little cemetary greeted us. Rather lonely and forlorn, really. You could tell that it had been there a long time by the way that the headstones teetered this way and that. The layout of the place also indicated that much time had passed between the initial use of the parcel for interrment and the final stone placement. The oldest stones, which had been layed flat in the ground, had been worn out to the point that you could not tell what was inscribed on them anymore. The stone face was simply cratered with age. As I took a look around and Dawn pointed to the huge, majestic trees overlooking the plot, I noticed that there did not seem to be a sense of direction either. There would be a few stones placed in a row in one place but there would be another one or two placed seemingly at random elsewhere. Fascinating. As we started to read the inscriptions, I was startled by the shear age, late 1800's and also by the fact that these were children! The youngest was perhaps one year old! How tragic and sad! If these stones could talk to us today, what kind of story would they tell? What happened back then? Who were these people? I paused for a moment to contemplate the lives of these individuals before photographing their final resting places. It was a little sobering, as any cemetary is.

That marked the end of our photowalk with Dawn and I told her that it would be fun to meet again! I really enjoyed our time together as she is very knowledgeable and likeable. Check out her blog at www.wheretogowisconsin.com or at Flickr, where we all meet, at www.flickr.com/people/wheretogowisconsin/ I absolutely love this kind of activity! It's a huge reason why I've wanted to move back to the north! I love the change of seasons! Love the vast forests! Streams, lakes and wildlife galore! Bear, deer, badger, rabbits and squirrel everywhere! Well, sort of everywhere but you get my point! you simply don't get any of this in the city.

Yup. I am a happy camper. Dallas, Mei Mei and I walked a lot today, took lots of pictures and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I only wish that Kim could have been here too! I've only skimmed on what we did today but I am tired and it is late for me. Not even the American Lemans race that is on SPEED TV is going to keep me up. I have plenty to do tomorrow before Kim arrives! I need to start getting ready for winter too! Putting away the summer clothes, rearranging the garage to suit our winter needs and cleaning out the barn are just a few items on our collective agenda. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Life is good! ;-)

G'night all...

Monday, September 29, 2008

Blackberry Blogging

Love this time of year! So amazingly beautiful! Cold weather and colorful forests uplift my spirits! Dallas just took his first driving class in the classroom! Mei Mei is taking dance classes! Dad is alive and well! Life is good folks! Lovin it all...

Friday, September 26, 2008

blackberry blogging - because I can!

Spending time on facebook and flickr folks! Right now I'm watching the presidential debate w/my wife & planning what to do this weekend w/the kids! Work sucks but life is good. Ask me about that sometime!

Please keep praying for my dad and my grandmother!

Friday, July 11, 2008

great. just friggin great.

i don't know what to say... so frustrated. our roof is in the process of being replaced and this leak has NOTHING to do with that! it happens to be raining outside but, oh yeah, this leak has NOTHING to do with that! this little gem will cost about 4 grand to fix since the leak started in the upstairs bathroom. luckily this is clean water and not waste. Kim and I are nearly at wits end.

Monday, June 30, 2008

summer projects...


dangerous angles
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
our house finally has central air conditioning! YES!!! you don't know how much you miss it until you don't have it and the summer temps are around 100 with nearly the same humidity and no wind. yuck. this is WISCONSIN i'm talking about! disgusting. left Florida for the nasty humidity! anywayz. life is good. the kids are behaving wonderfully and growing strong and healthy! so stinking cute they are! (see flickr)

pray for my dad! he's still battling the leukemia...

Thursday, June 05, 2008

blow Mei Mei! Blow!


blow Mei Mei! Blow!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
so Mei Mei turned FOUR today! can you believe it??? so awesome. it's been an event filled day, that's for sure! what? you ask? we got a call from her daycare because she had hives! hmm... not to worry, right? give her some benadryl and call us back. yup, we received another call alright! she was getting worse! belly pain and hot. call 911! damn! Kim and I immediately clocked out of work and waited for the squad to arrive in our ER! enroute, we learned that her breathing was never an issue... whew! so far so good! a tired Mei Mei arrived all strapped down to a big adult stretcher accompanied by 4 techs and her daycare director! way to go gang! kudos to the Luxemburg EMS and Roxanne! she was handed over and then checked out by the capable staff at St Vincent Hospital where she recieved several meds, one being in the thigh muscle. ouch. then we went to Applebees to eat! 4 hours later! by this evening she was doing just great and all about her birthday again so we celebrated with cake! yay! good times!

Dallas, at SIX foot THREE or so,is only 15... ouch.

checked out our pictures lately?

Thursday, April 03, 2008

our place, for sale...


THE HOUSE IS OURS!!!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
62 acres! close to Hays, KS. plenty of space for your animals and kids! great for camping and some light hiking too. set up a blind and hunt on your own property! turkey, pheasant, coyote and deer all pass through on a regular basis. hit me up for more information!

nixy

Saturday, March 29, 2008

walking into the sunset...


walking into the sunset...
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
it's nice to be able to finally get out and take a nice walk!!! it may still be a little chilly because of the wind but ya can't complain! it's so stinking beautiful out here! i love it. miss the snow, sure, but love spring nonetheless. we can go out and walk in comfort and we will be hitting the local (some not so local) dog shows and expos too! today, Saturday, we all went to the Pet Expo at the Resch center here in Green Bay (Brown Cty, WI) with Charlie, our standard poodle. Tomorrow we will go with the Afghan too! no kids though. i was not able to take very many pictures because my Kodak DX6490 is pretty old and can't handle the relatively low light that is present in the arena. i will post some pictures tomorrow but don't hold your breath! Dallas ended up taking most of them as i tend to make more blurry shots than he does! he'll be inheriting this camera from me when i upgrade! he takes some neat pictures let me tell you!

speaking of Dallas, he may still be fighting school cause he's a teenager but he really has a knack for building things out of, well, not much. he can still build a mean lego city, or car, or ship, or whatever he feels like whipping up! he asked me to bring him a bunch of boxes and so i obliged thinking that it was for school but he ended up making forts, outhouses, tiers, bridges and other whatnots to go along with the models that he's been putting together for the roleplaying game 'Warhammer'. pretty cool kid! i like it! a couple years back we tried to revive my love of model rockets and cars but we never went anywhere with that... oh well! Dallas is very talented though he may tell you otherwise. he's 15! that's what they do and say. right? nobody believes him and nobody likes him either. crazy.

well, it's time to groom the afghan and the poodle for tomorrow so i'll catch you w/you all later! don't forget to click on my 'pictures' link!

Friday, February 15, 2008

my pops!


my pops!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
So here he is, still in the hospital - but ALIVE!!!
can we have an amen? a yipeee? a hurray? oh yeah. we
thought that he would be discharged today, Friday day
after Valentines day but that is not to be. He was
just informed that his platelet count dipped a little
again (even though they hung a unit yesterday) so he
will remain in the hospital for perhaps yet another
day. I was hoping to be able to drive him home! It
would have made my day! That's o.k. though, I am happy
to be able to see him and talk to him! he's alive and
that is what counts. i saw his chest x-ray from when
he had the pneumonia and let me tell you, it was
BAD!!! very scary! i've seen some nasty pneumonia
pictures in my day but, #1) they were not my family
and #2) they did not have leukemia!!! it's a
completely different ballgame when your loved one is
involved! that is why in medicine you cannot take care
of a loved one because of bias! yikes. dad had been
given last rites and prayers. no one thought that he
would last through the weekend. at one point, he
thought that he was drowning since he could not catch
his breath and his heart started racing, he was going
into a panic! a heart rate of 140 while that sick is
not good. the doctors ended up haning NINE different
antibiotics at one time! they were all flowing in at
max rate. that alone could have killed him! he had
oxygen going full blast and they were giving him lasix
to try to remove fluids from his lungs. that weekend
was very tense/intense for all involved, let me tell
you! i had no idea how bad the situation was by simply
talking to his wife and to my mother. no idea at all.
i knew that the situation was bad, but i did not worry
too much. i knew that he was (is) in good hands.

i'll be headed over to his room in just a few minutes
again to spend a few more hours with him today. he
gets tired pretty easily still but he is walking
around as much as he can and eating as best as he can!
i love my pops! i am so thankful to all of the staff
that helped take care of him and everyone that prayed
for him. thankful to God too since w/out Him, I know
that dad would not be around right now. wow. awesome.

love you dad!!! see you soon!!! ;-)

Sunday, February 03, 2008

my dad

so my dad is getting better. again. this is worse than a bad roller coaster ride! i can only imagine what dad is going through! i pray for him every day. i miss him! i want him to be around for another 30 years! he's only in his sixties fer cryin out loud folks! is that too much to ask? really. this time, his chemo regimen is really taking a toll on him and he is very tired. weary. rather downtrodden too. can't blame him as he's been fighting off the leukemia for over a year now. i don't want him to give up the good fight and i can't help but wonder, what would i do in his place? would i still be fighting or would i have given up by now? i've always thought of my father as a strong person and his fight only reinforces that belief. i believe in you dad! i'm going to go and visit the week of the 10th of this month as i can't wait any longer to see him. he has pneumonia now too and that could very well spell disaster in an instant. last night, mom left a message on my cellphone that said that the pneumonia is resolving and he is feeling better but i can't take the chance to wait until spring. i would never forgive myself if he passed away! never.

hang in there pops! i'm gonna go see you soon and put a big ol bear hug on ya!

i love you.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

my daddy...

ok folks, today, wednesday the 23rd of jan dad is very sick. he has a fever and is nauseous big time. please keep him in your thoughts and prayers for those of you who pray... Migdalia is there w/him as much as she can and i am extremely thankful for that! mom drops by too when she can. i am glad that dad has people that visit him and drop by as human interaction is very important. tonight, my last patient was a 'crash and burn' patient from the emergency room and came to us intubated and unresponsive. by the time that we were done, due in part to our wonderful nurse and team, he was responding to external stimuli. he also has family that was w/him in the hospital and i sincerely believe that it will make the difference between life and death for that man. people who have family and friends who make it a priority to actually visit do much better than the lonely patient.

my family is getting together in Puerto Rico in July! i wish that i could go... but again, my dad is my priority! i'll be w/you all in spirit (or on the web!).

love you all!

nixy

Sunday, January 20, 2008

ice forming on my eyebrows/lashes

i went out around 3 pm today to check on the horses and give them all water and i found out that 1) it is very windy!!! 2) there is about 1hr worth of work to do out here! 3)my eyes are freezing shut!! perhaps if i wasn't full of hot air... i put the dogs out to run outside for awhile while i worked but about 10 minutes later i brought them back in. they just aren't used to this! i am even putting Cotton and Winslow in the barn at night due to the extreme low temps. wow.

now back inside the safe confines of our home, i can finish doing the laundry. Dallas started dinner! the dogs are playing. life is good.

GO PACK GO!!!

yup, it's really cold out today!

hey Dell! it's even colder in your hometown out there in Minesotta! yikes!

i'd like to say that i am not going outside to do anything at all but that would not be correct! i need to go out and fill the water trough w/water for the horses and sheep! i need to check to make sure that the electric fence has not been compromised and that everything opens and closes properly! aaaaah... life on the barn. farm. whatever. fun! i love it.

heck, the Green Bay Packers will be outside playing in this weather! yes, we WILL take the New York Giants down! trust me on this! it'll probably be a relatively quick game as i don't think that very many time-outs will be called! the huddles may be short and the play action quick and brisk! crazy! my family and i will be watching from the comfort of our home. oh yeah. no tailgating for us! we'll be there in spirit.

well, i need to keep working on the laundry. i'd like to make some bread today too. my allergies are kicking my butt though and i seriously want to take a long nap.

don't forget to pray for my dad folks! he's back in the hospital getting more chemo treatments.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

another sun 'ray'


another sun 'ray'
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
so calm and serene around here! i just absolutely love winter! so beautiful. tomorrow will not be so calm though if the storm that's headed this way hits the area! we should see half a foot of snow by the time that it leaves! ouch. schools will be closed too! Dallas is very upset. right. he's already inviting friends over! umm... Dallas? school will be closed due to treacherous conditions son! your friends will not be travelling here just to see you play xbox. nuh uh. no way kiddo. you and Mei Mei will watch Cinderella movies and drink hot chocolate! curl up w/the dogs on the couch! we'll need a shovel on our atv! this shoveling snow by hand kinda stinks! it's not like we have a tiny driveway! we don't live in the city ya know. yup. need a plow fer the atv!

don't forget to watch the Green Bay Packers kick some New York Giants butt this weekend! we're goin to the superbowl! hopefully! do NOT call us on sunday! just kidding. it'll be fun though!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

night time snow!


night time snow!
Originally uploaded by KDCN Morales
let it snow! let it snow! let it snow! oh yeah. i love it!

dad is back in the hospital getting round the clock chemo. pray for him please!

Dallas and Mei Mei are doing very well thank you very much! enjoying the snow and that makes me happy. my family makes me happy! kim hates the snow but whatcha gonna do? sorry hun. let's get a plow for our atv! that'll make a huge difference. ouch.

my friend Amanda had a baby! congratulations! they live way out in England! so happy for them!

my friend Elizabeth had another baby now too! congratulations are in order for them also! they live in o-town and this is their second child. wow.

i'm tired...