We’ve registered a Spring Camp in May. Please take a look and make a reservation if interested. It’s very important to do so as soon as possible since the # of free registration ($0 for 3 days lodging and food) is limited and it’s first come, first serve policy. The lodge cost has 4 levels this time, $0, $60, $100 and $150 per person, covering all lodging and food for 3 days.
 

http://springcamp.org/
 

Grow old together

I have a friend who is falling in love. She honestly claims the sky is bluer. Mozart moves her to tears. She has lost 15 pounds and looks like a cover girl. "I’m young again!" she shouts exuberantly.

As my friend raves on about her new love, I’ve taken a good look at my old one. My husband of almost 20 years, Scott, has gained 15 pounds. Once a marathon runner, he now runs only down hospital halls. His hairline is receding and his body shows the signs of long working hours and too many candy bars. Yet he can still give me a certain look across a restaurant table and I want to ask for the check and head home.

When my friend asked me "What will make this love last?" I ran through all the obvious reasons: commitment, shared interests, unselfishness, physical attraction, communication.

Yet there’s more.

We still have fun. Spontaneous good times. Yesterday, after slipping the rubber band off the rolled up newspaper, Scott flipped it playfully at me: this led to an all-out war. Last Saturday at the grocery, we split the list and raced each other to see who could make it to the checkout first.

Even washing dishes can be a blast. We enjoy simply being together.

And there are surprises. One time I came home to find a note on the front door that led me to another note, then another, until I reached the walk-in closet. I opened the door to find Scott holding a "pot of gold" (my cooking kettle) and the "treasure" of a gift package. Sometimes I leave him notes on the mirror and little presents under his pillow.

There is understanding. I understand why he must play basketball with the guys. And he understands why, once a year, I must get away from the house, the kids – and even him-to meets my sisters for a few days of non-stop talking and laughing.

There is sharing. Not only do we share household worries and parental burdens – we also share ideas. Scott came home from a convention last month and presented me with a thick historical novel. Though he prefers thrillers and science fiction, he had read the novel on the plane. He touched my heart when he explained it was because he wanted to be able to exchange ideas about the book after I’d read it.

There is forgiveness. When I’m embarrassingly loud and crazy at parties, Scott forgives me. When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, "It’s okay. It’s only money."

There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it’s been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened. He told me about a 60-year-old woman who’d had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman’s husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover? I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer. On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer’s disease on her father-in-law’s personality. On friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought, This is too much heartache for one week.

Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window. I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbour’s house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.

Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper every night; he’ll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box. He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I’ll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate.

I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it’s just a familiar hue. We don’t feel particularly young: we’ve experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.

I hope we’ve got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott’s wedding band engraved with Robert Browning’s line "Grow old along with me!" We’re following those instructions. "If anything is real, the heart will make it plain."

Annette Paxman Bowen

上世纪末的一个晚上，当许多观众从湖南卫视看到这感天动地的一幕时，忍不住恸哭流涕！青海省有一个沙漠地区特别缺水。据介绍，每人每天只有靠驻军从很远的地方运来3斤定额的水量。3斤水，不光饮用、淘米、洗菜……最后还要喂牲口。牲口缺水不行，渴啊！终于有一天，一头一向被人们认为憨厚、忠诚的老牛渴极了，挣脱缰绳，强行闯入沙漠中一条运水车必经的公路。老牛以惊世骇俗的识别力，等了半天，等来了运水的军车。老牛迅速顶上去，运水的战士以前也碰到过牲口拦路索水这样的情形，但那些动物不像老牛这样倔强。部队有规定，运水车在中途不能出现“跑冒滴漏”，更不能随便给水。这些规定，看似无情，实则不得已，这每一滴水都是一个人的“口粮”啊。沙漠中，人和牛就这样耗着，持续了好半天，最后甚至造成了堵车。

后面的司机开始骂骂咧咧，有些性急的司机用汽油点火试图驱走老牛。可老牛没有动，泰山一样，不放松。直到牛的主人寻来。　　牛主人愧疚极了，操起长鞭狠狠打在瘦弱的老牛身上，老牛被打得浑身青筋直冒，可还是没有动，最后顺着鞭痕沥出的血迹染红了鞭子，染红了牛身，染红了黄沙，染红了夕阳。老牛的凄惨哞叫，和着沙漠中阴冷的酷风，显得那么悲壮。一旁的运水战士哭了，被堵车的司机也哭了。最后，运水的战士说：“就让我违反一次队规吧，我愿接受处分。”他拿出自己随身的水盆，从水车上放了3斤左右的水，放在老牛面前。　　老牛没有喝面前以死抗争得到的水，面对夕阳，仰天长啸，似乎在呼唤。晚霞中，不远的沙堆背后跑来一头小牛，受伤的老牛看着小牛贪婪地喝完水，伸出舌头，舔舔爱子的眼睛，孩子也舔了舔母亲的眼睛，沉寂中的人们看到了母子眼中的泪水。

天边燃起最后一丝余辉，母子俩没等主人吆喝，在人们的一片静寂无语中，踏上了回家的路。二十世纪的一个晚上，很多观众同时从电视里看到这让人揪心的一幕，同时想起了自己劳作的苦难的母亲，流下了滚滚热泪。   ——-摘自《女子文摘》

日本著名《育儿》杂志，近日刊登了一道促进孩子长高的菜肴——猪肝鸡蛋粥。猪肝含丰富的优质蛋白，富含钙、磷及维生素A；鸡蛋则含有卵蛋白和卵球蛋白，是儿童增高的理想食品。

http://life.dwnews.com/news/2010-11-28/57138306.html

今儿做了南瓜饼：

1. 把南瓜蒸熟，搅烂

2. 加入等量糯米粉，和成圆饼状

3. 把搅碎的核桃仁拌入红豆沙内

4. 把核桃红豆馅包入圆饼内， 撒上黑芝麻

5. 上锅油煎既成，油不必多。

俞敏洪：成就孩子真正的幸福
　　――－－“首都家长学校”首场讲座实录

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4711b54e0100fer9.html

老公和我都对此感兴趣，明后俩天，For details and register:

http://www.msdnevents.com/

1. 大家照原计划周四聚餐,我只好下次了.

2.改在本周五,但HOTCHILI就得却席了.

3.改在下周(一,五我均可),那样HOTCHILI,大河和ECHO都能来了吧.

请大家投票,如选3,请注明周几有空.谢了.

真对不起, 临时通知要周四中午开会. 现有仨方案:

1. 大家照原计划周四聚餐,我只好下次了.

2.改在本周五,但HOTCHILI就得却席了.

3.改在下周(一,三,五我均可),那样HOTCHILI,大河和ECHO都能来了吧.

请大家投票,如选3,请注明周几有空.谢了.