Generations, and a hidden message.

Ever since I can remember, I've always loved my older sister. I don't know if I always knew exactly wHo she was or why she seemed so fond of my parents, but I always loved her. What a fun coincidence that this neat lady had the same last name as me and my parents!!
My sister was aN adult living on her own when I was born. She lived somewhere far away, so any chance to talk to her was eagerly taken advantage of. MY parents packed up the RV one summer, and we made the journey to visit her, hiking and Fishing along the way.
My sister got married and had a baby girl when I was in junior high, and I got married years later.
This Christmas, my husband and I made that same journey to visit my sister and her husband and their little daughter, now an adult living on her own. The progress of time . . . !!!

Sharing a Passion

My love for books is no secret. I enjoy a wide variety of literature. There is one book, though, that stands out from all others. Many have faced unimaginable persecution for reading this book, or even just for owning a copy. I have read of some who travel miles just for the privilege of reading this book. Men have died, burned at the stake, for translating this book into the language of the masses. This book has divided families and kingdoms. I know of only one book with this power-The Holy Bible.
I am currently studying the lives of three great Bible translators who risked life and limb to bring the Scriptures to the people: John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and John Hus. After Martin Luther made public the corruption of the Roman Catholic church and their abuse of authority, these men carried on his desire to see the common citizenry of Europe allowed to read the Holy Bible in their own language and decide for themselves how best to worship and serve God. These men, and countless others, had the courage to question and defy the until-then unquestioned authority of The Roman Catholic church.
The book we so often take for granted was made available to us by the shed blood and tears of many great men and women in ages past. These brave soldiers, simple scholars with the desire to spread knowledge, were key players in the Great Reformation, the common man's protest against the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic church, a tradition carried on today by all Protestants, including the author of this blog.

The Services of Rufus, by Rufus

I may appear to the naked human eye a common canine, a companion dog, so to speak. I will have you know that my services (and cuteness) far exceed those of the common household canine. As the sole canine of this house, it is my role to comfort Mrs. M in her distress. I do this in many ways, my specialty, though, being laying on the couch and looking really cute. I also encourage my mistress to get out for some fresh air exercising, and socializing. I have an animal magnetism that has enlarged Mrs. M's social circle considerably. I was made for this house. I don't know what Mr. and Mrs. M would do without me.

A Case of Genetic Peer Pressure.

So it's like this: I have some bad (mutated) genes in my brain. (Specifically, the genes for SCA 8.) These bad genes are corrupting the good genes that are close by. A Chinese research group is studying the H-DAC protein, which allows this to happen. They are trying to make a drug that will inhibit the H-DAC protein, so that the bad genes will not have the bad influence on the good genes. If they can make a drug that will do this, I could keep more of my good genes, and have fewer bad ones. The most adverse reaction they foresee is hot-dog fingers, a condition where my fingers actually turn into the traditional American barbeque meat substitute.


SCA 8 occurs in 1 in 200,000 people. (Thanks to the people who asked me that.)