Eli is pure magic...

Can you tell when you have been blessed by God? We get in the habit of thanking God for all sorts of things in our lives. Some people I know don't have the same feelings about God and Faith that I do. That's OK - it's not my life to life - it is theirs. Their path through this life-walk includes different pot holes in the road as well as peaks and valleys as we experience "stuff."  I'm convinced the only thing that truly matters is how we walk the path:  have we reached out and helped someone?  Have we lightened another person's burden? Have we walked our path gently?

I know I've been blessed by God's tender mercies. Heck, if it wasn't for Him; I'd surely have gotten dead by now!  There are more tangible ways of knowing of His blessings and I call them grandchildren.  Don't get me wrong; I love my adult children; but they are now set upon their own paths and I have little influence over their travels.  It's different with grandchildren, though as I can still affect their lives.

My 7 year old grandson, Eli, is a blessing in my life.  He is an amazing little person and I marvel at what he contributes to my life:  my path.  First of all, he's just so darned cute. Second, he's his father's son. "Hold on, now, what do you mean by that?" I am asked.  He is a mini Tyler. Some days, this could cause a shudder or a pot hole to appear on the road, but mostly, because it is Eli - I smile.  Payback!

Eli and his dad this past 2010 fall in the pumpkin patch.

Happy or sad, Eli is a gentle soul.  Intelligent beyond charts (think Mensa), with an active mind that wants to find out how things work.  My engineer friends would say he has "The Knack".  I don't know about that, but what I do know about Eli is that we did not have the relationship I wanted and it was my fault.  Lizzy is easy to do things with and to interact with. Eli is not.

I had to find out what I could do to change me in order to have a relationship with Eli.  So, I watched, listened to him talk, and found out what Eli likes to do.  He likes to play strategy games.  He likes to build things and he loves numbers and mathmatics.  OK, phew...I'm good to go:  strategy games. Games that make us think, plan/plot, move forward or backward (much like real life), and win!

First, I had to learn that those cute little colored dots mean something. They have synergy or conflict of strategy with specific colors.

So, I decided to learn how to play the intense, intelligent and very interesting card game of Magic The Gathering. This game has been around since the mid-90's and I never, EVER thought I would be interested in it - let alone play it.  But, here I am wandering through the Multiverses of Magic The Gathering and having an absolutely great time with my sons and Eli.

Eli checks his hand for "just the right" card to play to beat me!

My oldest son, Jeff, taught me to play the basics and that prompted Tyler who is the Jedi Master of all things Magic The Gathering (MTG) to declare, "OK, let Jeff teach you the basics, and then I'll teach you strategy, synergy of cards and how to win." Game on!

A recent game on the dining room table with Tyler, Eli and Jeff. Tyler holds an 8/8 flying dragon, the Hellkite Overlord! A very powerful card!

Confession time:  I couldn't beat Eli. His dad taught him to play this past summer and he totally understands the synergy of cards and how to use strategy to overpower his opponents.  He loses to his dad or his Uncle Jeff, but not often! And...until this past week, he beat me every time we played. But this old grandma will give no quarter in a game:  young or old...same/same - I'm in it to win!

So, how did I win?  I cheated.  I used a deck Uncle Jeff has.  How does this happen?  Magic cards are sold in sets with other cards called booster packs.  You open the deck, look at what you have and then open the boosters and put together a deck using cards from other sets and booster packs.  Players and those who have "the Magic Knack" put together decks where the cards play off (synergy) with each other allowing better strategy.  Are you lost?

I am currently putting together a deck from a series of 6 decks called, "Duels of the Planeswalkers" A Planeswalker is a very powerful soldier!  My deck will be powerful (or so I hope).

This is Garruk Wildspeak -Planeswalker of a green (think Earth) deck. Remember the colored dots?  His deck is green dot color.

This is Jace Breleen Planeswalker  of a blue deck. Think mind control with his blue dot deck.

Chandra Nalaar Planeswalker! Red deck - fire, volcanoes, dragons.

Illiana Ness Planeswalker - Black deck - dark, death destruction powerful.

And my favorite Planeswalker: Nissa Ravene - her deck is a compilation of green and black.

OK...the basic game is you need to have a deck of 60 cards comprised of life (mana). What's this..here ya go...

See, not so hard? There's blue-water-Jace; Black-swamp-Illiana; Red-mountain-Chandra; Green-land-Garruk. White is Planes - but I don't know who the Planeswalker is for that deck....will learn and get back to you.

A MTG player builds a deck of 60 cards in 1/3's:  1/3 Mana or life; 1/3 combat creatures like this guy:

The Hellkite Overloard Dragon.  He's powerful magic and one of my favorite dragons to have in a deck.

Still with me?  Ok...life, which is mana, and fighting creatures like the dude above. That's 2/3's right?  The final 1/3 of the deck are cards that can interrupt players, hasten your creatures into battle, save your life or help you draw more cards. Sounds so easy...draw your hand of 7 cards and then play by the rules. And, trust me...Eli knows the rules and patiently waits for me to figure out what to do.  He has learned the art of putting together his own decks - he is his father's son and his uncle's delight-much to my dismay.  I cannot beat him with pre-constructed decks....that's why I resorted to using Jeff's deck...at least I gave myself a fighting chance to be in the game for more than fodder!

I am having a great time learning the game - but most of all I have found a common ground for Eli and me.  He and I play non-stop games on the weekends when we can. My sons would tell me they taught me to play the game; but I know this is not true.  I have been graced by God's blessing to have a 7 year old grandson named Eli, sit across the table from me and patiently teach his grandma the true art of Magic.

Run For The Wall...well....sorta....

Motorcycle people call motorcycle group riding "runs" or "rally".  Run sounds strange: I'm not running, I'm riding. Rally sounds like getting a group of people together to protest something. So,  I just say, "I'm going to go ride my scoot." Saying that seems less complicated for me.

John and me: FNG: Fine New Guy/Gal - Rancho Cucamonga May, 2010

Run For The Wall is a ride/rally/run for motorcycle riders who devote 10 days of their time riding across the United States to Arlington, VA and the Vietnam Wall in DC. The purpose of the ride is to welcome home Veterans of military service who served in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, any other campaign, or just served in the military.  I use the word "just" with caution, as the good folk who spent time in the military and who did not see combat are the "lucky" ones. Their patriotism and courage in times of peace is no less honored in my mind or my husbands. And, as we rode, it was apparent that their contribution for our great country is honored. That makes me happy. The other very important purpose of the trip is to continue to bring awareness of the many POW/MIA still unaccounted.

This makes me happy, too. These are some of the school children of Montvale, VA elementary school, who presented a hand made flag to the Southern Route Coordinator, Ray, "Too Tall" McDowell.

Last May 2010, my hubby, John, and I runned and rallied and rode our way across the southern part of the United States eventually moving up through Virginia to our destination of Arlington, VA. and The Vietnam Wall in DC.  I blogged and blogged about it on another blog engine.  I thought I did a pretty darned good job of documenting our feelings and the happenings along the way. I often check the old blog site and smile at the memories:  some sadly beautiful and some very much fun. They are all good memories encompassing cities who came out to greet us, people who shook our hands and told my husband, "Welcome home, sir. Thank you for your service."

It's never too late to say, "Thank you for your service." Big Spring Texas Memorial.  John second from left.

We are getting ready to run/rally-ride again this year. Our journey will once again take us from the forrested hills of Battle Ground, WA to the southern United States. We are only able to ride into Texas this year and that is alright. The joy and happiness of this trip will be having our good friends on their big yellow Goldwing riding with us as FNG:  Fine New Guy/Gal.  He's a retired Lt. Cmdr. Navy pilot and she is by helmet bumping, dime rolling buddy.  It's going to be a great Run / Rally - Ride.

Big Poodle Snow Fun

Sometimes just knowing your life is full of the expectation of fun is all that counts. My life is filled with the expectation of fun with our three Standard Poodles, Jazzy, Ira and Marley. They don't need a reason to have fun, they are fun all by themselves. So, when it snowed and snowed the other day, what could be more fun than go to Big Poodle Snow Fun and let them romp, dig, chase snowballs, and roll in the freshly fallen flakes. My life if fuller for having dogs as my companions and soon, I will share with you my thoughts, learnings and what my life means to have these precious God-given, sensitive and intelligent dogs in my life. But, right now, Pat and the Poodles just want to have fun!

 Jazzy with her tail flying and Marley - always up for fun - chasing and barking in the field of snow.

Marley and Jazzy digging in the snow with silly poofy tails flagging the sky.

Jazzy spots the kids building snowmen and sledding down the hill.

Marley heard the honking geese.

Ira says, "Oh, boy:  MUD!"

It is difficult to get a photo of Ira as he rarely leaves my side. He is my guardian and my side-by-side companion at Big Poodle Fun and on walks. So, when he decides to venture away, I grab the camera and try to get a picture before he comes back to my side.  This picture of him as a puppy is just too precious not to share.  This is Ira Silverman the day I brought him home from the breeder's home in Mosier, Oregon.  Now, you have to admit, even if you aren't sure about Poodles, that this is cute!

Big Poodle Snow-Nose Fun!