Ranger Margaret Anderson

I've been able to fight back tears, until I read this:

By Bruce Barcott from the Seattle Times:

Guest columnist Bruce Barcott writes about his gratitude for Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, who was murdered on the mountain on New Year's Day. She was protecting the mountain and possibly averted a more serious tragedy.



"The Ranger Who Protected Mount Rainier from Greater Tragedy

I didn't know Margaret Anderson, the Mount Rainier National Park ranger shot and killed on New Year's Day. But I know what she died protecting. And I wish I could thank her for saving the mountain.

For many of us in the Pacific Northwest, Mount Rainier isn't just a national park. It's sacred public space. We go there to play and we go there to pray. Young mountaineers test their mettle on the Emmons Glacier. Elderly women stand and lay their hands on Rainier's old-growth cedars near Kautz Creek. Young couples hike into the backcountry at Indian Bar. Mothers take daughters snow camping at Reflection Lakes.

Memory is Rainier's most powerful attribute. We live in a place where family history is often thin on the ground. Here in the West there aren't many ancestral estates. Our family migration stories aren't traced to the Mayflower, they're traced to last week. Amid all that transience the mountain offers a place to connect with permanence, to create the personal back stories that bind us to the land. Every day hike at Sunrise, every car-camping weekend at Ohanapecosh, every Paradise snowball fight forms a tendon that ties us to our chosen home, and to each other. On a busy day in Seattle, when the clouds part and Rainier reveals itself, the mountain doesn't just come out. It opens the memory album of the mind.

There's no irony in the name Paradise. Rainier's most popular visitor destination sits at 5,400 feet, more than a mile above Puget Sound. Virinda Longmire named it in 1885 after witnessing the breathtaking wildflower bloom of its subalpine meadows. But the place lives up to its name not by flowers alone. Because it's accessible by car, Paradise draws a comically diverse mix of people in the parking lot: World-class climbers gear up next to flip-flop-clad Aussies and Sri Lankan immigrants who have driven up to touch snow for the first time in their lives. It's Paradise for everyone, open every day.

This is the mountain that Margaret Anderson was protecting.

The weather has been gray and depressing for weeks around here, so when blue sky and sunshine showed up last Sunday, New Year's Day, a lot of folks piled into the car and headed for Paradise.

One of those people didn't have snow play in mind.

When trouble finds people, sometimes they go to the mountain. As a young man, I often hiked into the backcountry to try to sort out my life. It did me a lot of good.

Others are not so fortunate. An old friend of mine, a former ranger at Mount Rainier, once told me that one of the toughest parts of his job was finding suicides in the Park. "People come up here for a lot of different reasons," he told me. "Sometimes they want it to be the last place they see."

When Anderson responded to a traffic call on New Year's morning, she had no idea what kind of trouble was coming up the road. A blue Pontiac had just blown past the tire-chain checkpoint at Longmire. She set up a roadblock about a mile away from Paradise.

We have no way of knowing Benjamin Colton Barnes' intent. But the evidence suggests. This was a troubled 24 year-old Iraq war veteran, possibly suffering from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder, a gun collector, with a history of suicidal thoughts and erratic tendencies. He'd allegedly shot four people at a party a few hours earlier. In his car was an arsenal of weapons and body armor.

Barnes might have gone to the mountain to think things over. That's a generous reading. Some have speculated that he planned to flee into the woods. But the road from Longmire to Paradise is a 12-mile dead end in winter. And 5,400 feet up Rainier in January is no place for criminal flight.

Once Barnes reached the parking lot at the Jackson Visitors Center, there would be nowhere for him to go. But there would be an estimated 200 innocent visitors and park employees around him.

Maybe he'd have taken his own life quietly. Maybe he'd have forced a suicide-by-cop situation. But in this post-Columbine age, it's hard not to imagine the darkest possibility. Though she couldn't have known it, I believe that Margaret Anderson positioned herself between Benjamin Barnes and a possible mass murder at Paradise.

The story's tragic denouement has been well documented by Craig Welch, Steve Miletich and other Times reporters this past week. At Anderson's roadblock, Barnes stopped the Pontiac, drew a shotgun, and pulled the trigger. Rescuers were unable to reach her for an hour and a half, because Barnes unloaded on anyone who came near. Then he fled on foot into the snowdrifts and mountain streams that would ultimately claim his life.

Spree killers murder more than people. They desecrate a geographic space. They rub dirt on our memories. Last year's mass murders changed Norway's Utoya Island from an idyllic retreat to a place of haunting sorrow. Nearly 50 years after the fact, it's impossible to pass under the University of Texas Tower in Austin and not recall, if just for an instant, Charles Whitman and the day he turned it into a sniper's nest.

That's why I wish I could thank Anderson. By responding to a common traffic stop, and laying down her life, she diverted a killer and allowed Paradise to remain paradise.

On clear days, when the mountain comes out, none of us has to look at Mount Rainier and be reminded of mass murder. We can look and see beauty, adventure and a symbol of our connection to this place. We can look and think of Margaret Anderson. And say a little thanks."


Bruce Barcott is the author of "The Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier." He lives on Bainbridge Island.

It Just Keeps Getting Worse

2012 is 5 days old.  And three Peace Officers have been killed in the line of duty so far.  What is wrong with us?

	Sergeant Abimael Castro-Berrocales Puerto Rico Police Department, PR EOW: Sunday, January 1, 2012 Cause of Death: Gunfire
	Park Ranger Margaret Anderson United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, US EOW: Sunday, January 1, 2012 Cause of Death: Gunfire

And now an officer from the Ogden UT force has been gunned down.

In 2011, 164 officers were killed in the line of duty.

Taken from the Officer Down Memorial page at: http://www.odmp.org/search/year/2012#ixzz1iaPASoDH

When DH was working he was an Ohio Certified Peace Officer.  That means he had police powers in all state and local law enforcement operations.  He could have been called in on a federal case under the mutual agreements that exist between agencies.

He wore a loaded side arm to work every single day, whether he was patrolling from the vehicle, on foot, on horseback, or if he was doing more mundane tasks like mowing or re-building a bridge.  He had to certify at the firing range 4 times each year, which he did with flying colors.  (Only one other person in Lucas County scored higher at the range and he was also a ranger.)

One of my dearest friends once said to me, "Well, it's not like he was a real cop."

What part of real gun, with real bullets made him "not a real cop?"

January Clean Out Days

It's something that affects so many of us.  When I was a kid, I remember my Mom waiting for the January White Sales.  Nobody in our house got new linens or towels except in January.  For me, I wait for the plastic tub sales.  I've got my 'out-west' stuff in the good tubs, and even left them in the cargo trailer this year, instead of lugging them to the basement.  I supposed I should go check for mice....

Every time I pack it, I take pics hoping to find the perfect arrangement. I'm getting closer....

This year,  we have to get the paperwork under control.  I've been saying that for years, but can't convince you-know-who that he is a full-fledged paper hoarder.  We do need to keep lots, since both boys have IEPs, MFEs, SSI, all sorts of crap.  And just as soon as I say we need 'that' piece of paper, it's the one I finally just got rid of.  I'm beginning to start scanning those papers, but I still can't bring myself to get rid of them.  (Which reminds me, time to back up the computer.......) (Also, anybody using one of those ScanDesk things from TV?  But wait there's more.....)

I have mostly selfish reasons for wanting to get the paperwork under control. I want our living room back.  It's a fabulous room.  Big, grand, filled with light. It should look like this:

But since I got home in October, it's looked like this:

No, the tornado was a year earlier... but thanks for asking.

Leave my DH home for just a few days and he can make more heaps of crap than I can ever imagine.
I miss the peace and quiet and tranquility of the living room, so I started looking for another place for the paperwork.  Well, duh.  How about the "office"?  It's actually the "laundry room/office" but with the boys doing their laundry at the laundromat these days, and my sewing stuff downstairs, lemme see what we can do with this:

I moved out a darling little drop leaf table and ta-daa the table from the LR fits exactly!

I've got several problem areas--problems because no one else who lives here is apparently capable of putting anything where it belongs when they are done.  You'd think they'd get tired of looking for their stuff, but no.  Anywho, I keep trying to find ways to make it easier and easier.

Problems like HANG YOUR COAT UP!!  Oh, sorry for yelling... that's apparently the only way anyone here hears me on the subject of coats.  When we designed and built the house we added this cute little coat nook.

Hat collection is kinda 1980s.... it will be changing, but I haven't figured out how....

But with 4 adult sized people, it isn't quite big enough.  We moved from a house with a closet, yep a closet, so we made sure we had lots here.  The biggest one is full of cool, old clothes

Really old, vintage family clothes, re-enacter clothes, ball gown, prom dresses, and a Santa suit. That's the way we roll.

Aren't closet doors just the grandest things? Instant tidiness.

and a few things we need.  But now I realize that all that cool, old stuff has to live somewhere else. I priced archival quality boxes and that ain't gunna happen. I'll have to settle for archival quality tissue paper to wrap the clothes before I put them in plastic boxes.  Some of it will go to the local museum. Anywho, I'll put DH and my coats in the good closet and assign half of the nook to each boy.  Whaddoyathink?

Oh, and if you're casing my house, as BadAmy believes, you're going to be disappointed.  We can't even give most of our junque away!  More on my progress after I actually make some!

B-O-M Club

I'm looking for a BOM club that is 1) free, and 2) for intermediate quilter.  Where are some places I should look?  When I google BOM all the clubs cost... I'd rather pick my own fabric and all.

Thanks ahead of time!

::Edited Later that evening::

And so quickly Kelly of IHAN had a couple of links for me!  Viola!  So I'm going to try a free, yes free BOM at Craftsy.  I'm going to try using my wonderful Christmas stash.  I think I'll have to decide if I'm going to use the more traditional fabrics or the more modern ones.  I don't yet have an eye for mixing and matching, so I'll be back to y'all begging for help.    And you BIRDER types can chime in on selection~~so many of you have a great eye for color and design and pattern.

Rainier National Park Ranger Shot and Killed. Mother of 2, 34 Years Old.

Edited 1/2/2012
From NPS Digest today:

Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot and killed on the road to Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park on Sunday morning.  As of this time (early on Monday), the assailant is still at large and a manhunt is underway.

The incident began when a car failed to stop at a required tire chain checkpoint. A ranger tried to pull the car over, and, when it failed to stop, Anderson established a road block with her vehicle.  The assailant jumped from his car and opened fire with a shotgun, fatally wounding her.  He then fled on foot into the woods. Rangers and law enforcement officers from various agencies responded.  The Pierce County SWAT team arrived on scene and they, too, were fired upon while rendering aid to Anderson. 

Law enforcement officers closed the park road, evacuated park visitors from Longmire, and locked down Paradise, with all visitors in the area taking refuge in the Jackson Visitor Center.  There were 125 park visitors and 17 park staff in the visitor center as of late on Sunday.  The visitor center has a restaurant to provide food, restrooms and water, and law enforcement officers are on hand to provide protection.

The search for the murderer continued into the night, with fixed wing aircraft using forward looking infrared to scan the ground.  There are a more than 100 officers from a variety of agencies assisting with the manhunt for the shooter, including National Park Service, Pierce County Sheriff, FBI, Washington State Patrol, US Forest Service, City of Enumclaw, and Lewis County Sheriff.
Mount Rainier National Park will remain closed today.

Anderson served at Mount Rainier for four years.  She is survived by her husband, also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, and by two young children.

Director Jarvis issued this statement early today:
“Yesterday morning, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed while making a traffic stop at Mount Rainier National Park.  As I write this late Sunday night, the murderer is still at large in the park, which has been closed.  We are working closely with the FBI and local law enforcement to protect visitors and staff and to track down Margaret’s killer and bring him to justice.
“This is a heartbreaking, senseless tragedy.  Margaret was just 34 years old. She and her husband Eric, who is also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, have two young children.  Margaret was killed while doing her job – protecting the visiting public on one of the park’s busiest days of the year.

“Last week, we mourned the death of U.S. Park Police Officer Mike Boehm, who suffered a heart attack while responding to a serious incident in Washington, DC.  Mike left behind a wife and a son.
“Our hearts go out to both families, and I ask you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers in the hard days ahead.

“As updates from Rainier are available we will share them with all employees through InsideNPS.  These losses are painful reminders of the risks faced by National Park Service employees every day. Please be careful out there and watch out for each other.”


Contact Information Name: Lee Taylor, Chief of Interpretation and Education







Edited info from 1/2/2012: from the Seattle Times
Updated at  6:22 p.m. MT

From Staff Reporters Craig Welch, Steve Miletich and Carol Pucci
Seattle Times staff reporters
A 34-year-old park ranger was fatally shot Sunday morning in Mount Rainier National Park after a routine traffic stop led to a chase up the road near Paradise. The gunman remained at large, triggering a massive manhunt.

The killing appears to be related to an early morning shooting in Skyway in which a man and woman were critically injured and two other men wounded during a house party, said Cindi West, spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff’s Department.

Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, a mother of two who was married to another park ranger, was shot about 10:30 a.m. after setting up a roadblock to stop the fleeing suspect.

“Margaret is just a wonderful, wonderful young lady,” her mother-in-law, Cynthia Anderson, of Hanson, Mass., said in a telephone interview Sunday.

The gunman escaped on foot and was carrying a long rifle. Authorities said it took 90 minutes for backup to reach Anderson because the assailant continued shooting at law enforcement as they arrived.  KOMO-TV reported that a man named Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24, was being sought as a person of interest in the shooting. KOMO displayed what appeared to be a law-enforcement mug shot of a young white man. The station did not say how police had identified Barnes or why he was thought to have information about the shooting.

About 86 park visitors and 20 or so employees were still locked down at the Jackson Visitors Center at Paradise as of about 4:45 p.m., but visitors below at Longmire had been allowed to leave.
“It’s really not safe right now,” said park spokeswoman Lee Taylor. “We’ve got a guy on the loose with a gun and he’s obviously willing to use it.”

The incident started about 10:15 a.m., Taylor said, when park rangers attempted to pull over a vehicle on the road just above Longmire. The car kept going.

When officers radioed that the suspect failed to stop, Anderson, in another vehicle, set up a roadblock by pulling her car across the road a mile or so south of Paradise at a pull out known as Barns Flat.
“He just jumped out and shot her,” Taylor said.

A maintenance worker and his colleague had been driving up the road toward Paradise when they heard on the park’s radio system that rangers were chasing what appeared to be a blue Pontiac the same direction. They pulled over and let the car and law-enforcement officer pass them, the worker said.
“As soon as they went by, we pulled out and started to follow,” said Steve Young, who was in the passenger seat. “At that point we heard they had an officer who was coming down who was going to try and stop the vehicle from above.”

Young said the ranger’s vehicle was around a corner about 100 yards ahead of them, when he heard at least five shots. Suddenly, the ranger’s vehicle he’d been following started backing down.
“His windows were shot out and he started backing down the road,” Young said by phone from Longmire.

Lisa Pyle, from Auburn, said she and her husband Derek Pyle were on their way up because their daughter had been camping at Paradise, but a ranger turned them away. They saw a ranger’s car near the visitors center with three bullet holes through the windshield. Their daughter and other guests were locked down inside the park.

“We have a ton of police here,” said a volunteer Park Service guide in Longmire. “They’re everywhere. A lot of people are camping in the backcountry. What happened here happened pretty quickly.”
Ed Troyer, a Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman, told The Associated Press that his department received a report around 11:30 a.m. of shots fired. When authorities arrived, he said, they also encountered gunfire, but no one else was hit.

The Park Service was asking people to stay away from the park because officers are actively looking for the suspect. The Washington State Patrol and Pierce County Sheriff’s Office are involved in the investigation.

In Skyway, King County sheriff’s deputies received a 911 call reporting the shooting around 3 a.m., according to West.  Deputies arrived at the home and found that three men and a woman had been shot. All four were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Witnesses told the deputies that a man had been at a party at the home earlier in the evening and was asked to leave after an argument. The man returned, and began firing a gun at people in the home.
At least one person at the party appeared to have returned fire, West said.

Children were in the home at the time but none were injured, West said. West said all of the victims were in the 20s, and the victims knew the shooter.

Mount Rainier has never had an officer shot and killed in the line of duty, said  Lee Snook, a public information officer with the Park Service.

Anderson and her husband, Eric Anderson, both worked at Rainier for about four years. Their two children were described by federal authorities as ages 4 and 1.

Margaret Anderson’s mother-in-law, said the oldest, Anna, was born on Feb. 14, 2008, making her 3. The youngest, Katie, will turn 2 in May.

Eric Anderson has been left “devastated” by his wife’s slaying, said Cynthia Anderson in the telephone interview.The couple, who lived in Eatonville, met when both worked as park rangers at Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, Anderson said, her voice choking with emotion. 

They then moved to Harpers Ferry, W. Va., where they worked nearby in different parks, Anderson said. The couple became engaged in December 2004, according to a wedding announcement in The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood Times of New Jersey. About four years ago, they got the opportunity to work in the same park at Mount Rainier, Anderson said.

“That is why they decided to go out there,” Anderson said. “It’s beautiful out there.” Their dream was to work together and raise a family, Anderson said,

“They’re both very outdoorsy,” Anderson said. “Andvery religious, too,” Anderson said, explaining that both are Lutherans and that Margaret Anderson is the daughter of a Lutheran minister. A woman who answered the phone at the home of Margaret Anderson’s parents, the Rev. Paul and Dorothy Kritsch of Scotch Plains, N.J., said Sunday the family was too distraught to talk. 

Anderson said the her son and daughter-in-law were “thrilled” about their life. “They have a home, two beautiful girls,” Anderson said.

The couple’s next-door neighbor, Adam Norton, said the Anderson family had only lived in Eatonville for about a year, but said he regularly saw Margaret walking with her little girls. “You could tell they really adore those kids,” Norton said. “Margaret was always outside with the girls pushing the youngest around in the stroller while the other girl was on her bike.” 

Rangers have one of the most widely varying jobs at Mount Rainier. As the park’s front line law-enforcement officers, they drive lonely rural roads by themselves and do everything from issue speeding tickets to respond to car accidents to arrest lawbreakers. But they also hike trails, respond to fires and are some of the first called out to search for lost or injured visitors. During winter, rangers may even help set up signs and prepare recreation spots for snowshoers.

The park has about 15 law-enforcement officers at this time of year, said Snook.

Say your prayers and hug your loved ones tonight. 

Our hearts go out to Ranger Margaret's family... husband and children.

Happy Cyber New Year!

When Gaelyn said, "I'm having a cyber masquerade ball for the new year, I signed up.  But as usual, life gets in the way of a great party!  But wait!  Tomorrow's a state holiday, so we'll party tonight!

I already had dibs on the National Building Museum in Washington DC.  For a girl who lives in the Big Woods, I must say I love cities--in small doses.  So here we go:

The Venue: The National Building Museum in DC.  (I've actually been there, for the 50th Anniversary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Gala and workshops.  Wow.  Really, really wow.)

Stealing a photo makes it blurry.  But that might be champagne induced...

The official Presidential Inaugural Balls are held here.  So I should throw a party, too.

The Dress:

I've searched long and hard for the dress I want.... saw it years ago in a catalog~~gorgeous red polar fleece with white trim, worn of course with Sorrel boots.  Okay, I've got the boots.....

Add a little bling to this one....

Make a grown up version of this.....

or a nice vintage dress from etsy.... I'm an old fashioned kind of girl

 The Guest List:  First and foremost and most importantly...  All of YOU!!! We'll invite some lesser folks, too...

My Queen peep... in red of course.  Probably called 'claret' in her case.

Eye Candy.  Still. 

Still the best eye candy around.  Whew.  And you all know what every good Scotsman wears under his kilt? Shoes.

A funny guy from the Midwest....

Favoritest author... and NPS peep, Nevada Barr.

Okay, President Lincoln probably can't make it, but my Boss could.

President Roosevelt and Mr. Muir.  Wouldn't that be just bully?

Sir Paul teamed up with.....

Tom Paxton, the greatest singer/songwriter evah.

And the Divine Miss M!!!!!!!  Let the games begin!!!! Woot!

The Dinner:  Hey, deal with it, it's my fantasy!

Ginger Bread Martinis.  You haven't tried one?  Silly you.

Start with French Onion Soup... or even Italian Onion Soup.

Filet Mignon  ....  be still my cholesterol choked heart.

The taste of summer.... corn on the cob from Ryan's Farm in Whitehouse Ohio.  None better.

Dutch Apple Pie... my recipe of course.

Wilcoxson's Montana made Moose Tracks.  Many have tried to make this, but it ain't the same.

Madison Salmon Fly Rye.  Good beer.

Whew.  I'm whipped.  But it was a fun party.  Or at least that's what they tell me..... maybe a few too many Gingerbread martinis......

Thanks for the invite, Ranger G!

Winter Break

I couldn't bear the thought of spending 10 days home with the boys, and having them spend all day telling me they wanted to be somewhere~~anywhere~~else.  That comes under the heading "the grass is always greener....."  So I surprised them with a mini-vacation to.... wait for it..... Columbus Ohio.

Yeah, that's basically pretty pathetic, but it was very do-able so we did.

Columbus is the capital of Ohio, and the kids have done drive-bys of about a dozen other state capitals, but not ours.  My bad.  They did attend the 200th celebration of Ohio's statehood by attending events in the first capital, Chillicothe.  That was a fun year, 2003.  Except for going to our lake in Jackson, Michigan, all of our travels that year were in Ohio.  But we still managed to miss Columbus.  Frankly, it ain't that great of a town.  For a hundred years the only things that were there were state government related stuff and The Ohio State University.  Big whoop.  (Sorry to all you OSU types.)

The Columbus Zoo, of Jack Hanna fame, is there.  I've heard lots about it, but had never been there.  I gotta tell ya, I'm not that impressed.  Like so many zoos now, you can walk from stem to stern and never see an animal. Weird.  There was also a lot of 'built environment' compared to the number of animals, which of course includes the ubiquitous snack shacks of every imaginable kind.  (They even have beer!) Zoo pics are pretty hard to get right, but I managed a few.

Huge fake moose.

Real moose-let.

Those are some bigass feets. I like the reflection of DH's hat, too.

Which is scarier?

Hat hair.

Best pic of the day.  Zoo pics are hard to take.

DD, the younger.

FTD, the elder.

So now we've been there.  We started our trip with the guided tour of the Capital building.  The boys put up with it.  Every time the guide said, "Does any one have any questions?", FTD went into Rainman mode and told her some totally unrelated Ohio factoid he has stored in his weirdly wired data bank. That's my boy all right.

Best part of the trip was dinner with our 'old' neighbors.  They were our closest neighbors for 18 years, and since The Dad got a super-duper promotion (can you say General?), it meant a move to Columbus.  We've known it's been in the works, but this summer they all moved down there.  I told The Mom that I was kinda glad I wasn't here for the actual moving day, because I would have been bawling my eyes out.  In addition to being great neighbors (mind you now, their house was a half mile from us), their son was in Scouts with FTD and a good friend, and their younger daughter is one of my honorary grand-daughters.  What a sweetie.  I made her this little quilt last spring.

Since I fussy cut the material, I have quite a bit left so I made her a relax pack with it, along with one for her Mom and Big Sis.  I do so miss them.

I've got lots more completely useless info to write about, but I'll call it quits for now.  It's time to get ready for tomorrow's Audubon Christmas Bird Count after all! And then it'll be time for Gaelyn's cyber New Year's Masquerade Ball.  Did I mention that I have dibs on the Building History Museum in DC?

Merry Christmas!

On this, the holiest night of the year, I hope you find love and joy.  From our home to yours,

My Daddy, Brother, me, Lil Sis. 1962.

DH, FTD, me, DD, 2005.

Merry Christmas.

Elfing Time Again!

Oh, goodie goodie!  One of my nieces came over today to elf for a while.  We made 5 pairs of jammie bottoms in various matching combos and another surprise, which I can't blab about now, on the bizarre chance that a recipient will read this (not likely but ya never know.)

It was sorta like we got to do our Friday Night Sew In on Wednesday!  Today was her last day at work until after New Years, so it felt like Friday anywho.

I'm going to suck it up and go to a mall tomorrow with BadAmy.  I used to go at least once around the holidays to do some people watching, but since I people watch all summer, it's not as much fun as it used to be.  There's a slim chance that we'll drive up to Ann Arbor, in which case we'll hit the Genius Bar at the Apple Store and hope someone can find where the hell my Powerpoint stuff went.  I know where I had it last......  and that was about 3 hours before an Evening Program.  So that day I had to find a back up copy (Thank you baby Jesus for the new portable back up hard drive), transfer it to the office PC laptop, reformat it, and look like I wasn't stressed out.  Yeah, I rocked it.  But still, I need it to magically reappear. So cross  your fingers for an A2 trip tomorrow!


Can you spill the beans about your elfing adventures?

I Now Pronounce You . . .

 . . . legally licensed to perform weddings in the State of Ohio.  Yep, I sure am.

Deciding to do this was a long, thoughtful process, And I'm content with my decision.  As a life long Presbyterian who was ordained as an Elder at the tender age of 17, it's been an odd journey from every Sunday in the pews to my current spiritual state.  I'm extremely thankful that I attended churches where it was not necessary to leave our brains at the door.  I see so many alleged Christians today who even violently believe that their way is the only way that it scares the daylights out of me.  To see an alleged Christian governor pay for a political ad where he blasts so many good people is reprehensible.

I also know now that the pews aren't for everyone.  For my children, for example.  Autism and church didn't go well together, and was exacerbated by the fact that my kids didn't go to school with the kids at church. (In actuality very few of the kids at our church went to school together.  We were sort of a regional church.)  I made the tough decision to stay at home on Sunday mornings, knowing that my kids wouldn't be under any extra stress.  I still don't often go anywhere on Sunday mornings, and I truly miss hand bell choir, but there it is.  Lots of church friends said well, I should come anyway, but if my children weren't welcome, was I?  I felt not.

Anywho, when our daughter married, she and her husband chose a friend to officiate.  Dig this, he owns a really cool bar in town.  When we first heard about their plans, DH and I just stood there looking stupid.  But the alternative would have been a judge, with no family or friends in attendance. The ritual of standing before friends and family to say you'll be good to one another is powerful. And it was indeed a beautiful ceremony and many years later, they are still the happy couple. 

I've been thinking a lot since their wedding day, about what constitutes a wedding and a marriage.  And I feel strongly that I can help folks start their lives together, with dignity and ritual. I've followed all the legal steps needed and now can perform services.  Awesome.

So if you're in NW Ohio, and are looking for a happy, cheery officiant for your wedding, give me a call.  I've set up blog, to wrap my thoughts around the whole deal.  Check out Kirk o' the Pines.

I'm also working on finding out how I can perform weddings in Wyoming.  At first blush, it seems that the officiant need only be ordained, not licensed by the state.  I'll keep looking.