SNOWFLAKE FESTIVAL!!!

Today i got to go to the Audobon Soicety Snowflake festival!!! The snow was pouring down. It was AWSOME!!!

My brother Tom (who is 7) and i went on a hike. My brother Jeffs boyscout troop cooked a turkey, and doughnuts, and peach cobbler for all. The audobon folks taught us about reptiles and amphibians, and we got to see their bald eagle, Liberty. Tom was very impressed with the eagle.

My dad was running a booth about starting fires without matches at the boyscout diplay. I took over for a little while so he could rest. A woman with two little girls came to the booth. I showed the kids how to use a magneseum rod and a steel to shoot a spark into some lint. The kids both gave it a try. Then they started asking about other things in the display.

"whats that?"

" a battery. You can use it to start a fire if you touch some steel wool or other thin metal to it."

"what about this?"

That is a bag of tinder. Small things that are easy to start on fire"

"and this?"

"That is just a rock. It is there in case we need to keep things from blowing away."

"Yeagm but what can you DO with it?"

"Ummm...

I gues you could throw in the water or something."

"cool! I want to throw it in the water!"

"No, sorry, my dad might need it."

The little girl began to cry. loudly

"WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


Her mother tried to comfort her. Her sister rolled her eyes and went back to shooting sparks at things.

"ok, you can throw it in the water. Go for it."

She picked up the rock and ran to the edge of a nearby pond. Then she threw the rock in.

"Woohoo! Did ya see what i did mom! I threw it in the water! yah!"

the girls sister rolled her eyes once more.

"can i do it again?"

"well i dont have any more rocks here..."

The girl began to sniffle,

"but i will tell you a secret"

the girl leaned in close

"If you go to the edge of the water, there are usualy lots of stones. And do you know why?"

"why?"

"just for throwing."

I have never seen anyone happier in my life.


I was in line with tom at the face painting booth when i ran into a girl i went to highschool with. She had a kid toms age with her. She said hello and we started talking.

"who is this?" She asked.

"my brother tom. And who is this?"

"my oldest son. The other one is over there."

She looked very happy. Her kids looked healthy. We talked about where our lives had taken us. I told her about school in tennessee and my new job, and she told me that she was working at a store in town while she went to school. She said somewhat whistfully "i will probably stay here the rest of my life".

I thought about having kids and getting a job right out of hight school. I have a great deal of respect for people who can do that, because i know i could never have handled it. In fact, that is pretty much my worst nightmare. Maybe some day, many years from now, i will be ready to settle down, but not now. Maybe not ever.

I have been kinda down about not having a girlfriend for a long time. Probably too long. But i would much rather be alone, then be trapped. Of course it should be very possible to be in a relationship without feeling trapped, but i would rather be too free than not free enough if given the choice. It was good to get some perspective.


The snowflake festival was a blast, and i got to see many other old freinds as well. I highly recomend it if you ever get the chance.