The Peaceful Gnome

I just finished reading an interesting article about a family living in a very small house on wheels.  It is encouraging to see that someone has actually attempted such a thing :-)  They have 3 children several cats and a hamster.  One thing that is mentioned towards the end is the idea of having more than one tiny house, especially if you have teens (or a grandpa!) Here is a link to the story, enjoy! Could you live with three kids, three cats and one hamster in 440 square feet? This family is trying

This morning's sunrise, through the smoke of the many fires in California...

I had to work this morning, my counterpart needed today off so my normal Sunday routine is gone.  Worse than just that though I was interrupted 3 times as I was attempting to do my routine of shower, get dressed, pray and go to work.  As a result of this I'm sitting here at work with no socks.  :-)  This wouldn't happen if I was willing to wear regular shoes on my way to work but I prefer sandals and put my socks and undershirt in my bag... which I neglected to do today.  Ah well, it's not the end of the world. When I went out to get in the car I found that it was coated with ash from the fires up in the Sierras, I had to wash the windshield to see out of it, the smoke and ash is everywhere in the valley today :-( Pray for rain...

Once again we have gone to the Yuba River to camp.  I already linked to this on FB but in keeping with my intention to stay away from that place as much as possible I'm putting this album slide show here as well.  Enjoy.

I wonder if I can make more regular posts here, and reduce by about 99% my posting frequency on that great time sucking, click baiting and profit making abomination, Facebook?  May Zuckerberg be cursed for his evil invention!   But this is not just a rant against the evil empire of Facebook. Nope, it's actually a continuation of my thoughts about rituals and routines and coping with life.  I'm sorry if this is boring, well not actually, I don't care if anyone thinks it's boring, it's my life we're talking about here. Sure it's boring!   But it's MINE! Until I began writing about being Aspie and the routines that I follow I hadn't realized how ritualized my whole life really is.  When I get up I must  take a shower first thing.  If I do not do that the entire day is "wrong" and I never get back on track until the next day when I can start over and do it right.  If I try taking a shower later in the morning or in the evening, it...

Once upon a time I took a couple of online tests for Asperger's Syndrome and I scored very  high on them all.  Does that mean I win? Most of the time I manage to cope fairly well with life. Most of the time I suppose that I pass as "normal," whatever that means. Most of the time. But sometimes my facade slips and I'm unable to maintain my cool and calm exterior  and then the seething mass of confusion and struggle that is beneath surges up to the surface, like lava bursting from a subterranean magma chamber it scorches whatever is near by when it erupts.  Sorry about that world. What is this "struggle" I am speaking of here?  It is the daily struggle to make sense of the chaotic world I inhabit.                                           SOUNDS!   Listen to how it sounds...                   ...

This morning the New Testament reading for the Morning Office was from James chapter 3.  "...if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.  If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well.  Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.  ...