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The Season of Lent begins February 17 with Ash Wednesday.  Please check with your local parish for Mass times that day.  Lenten regulations are as follows:

?• The Christian faithful are to do penance through prayer and fasting, abstinence and by exercising works of piety and charity. All Fridays through the year, especially during Lent, are penitential days.

    • Abstinence: All who have reached their 14th birthday are to abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of Lent.

?• Fasting: All those who are 18 or older, until their 59th birthday, are to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Only one full meal is allowed on days of fast. Two other meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one’s need; but together, they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids are allowed.

The obligation does not apply to those whose health or ability to work would be affected seriously. People in doubt about fast or abstinence should consult a priest.

Just in case you were wondering what Ash Wednesday is really all about!

There was just so much information and I took about 500 photos at the battlefield this afternoon! Here are just a few:

(I feel really bad that I am the picture person…and can’t figure out how to rotate the sideways pictures! Mostly just being lazy…but you get what I am showing you - just tilt your head to the right and there you go!)

This is the main memorial on the North side of Gettysburg with the eternal flame, limestone from Alabama, the base from Maine and the ladies on front symoblize friendship.

This is our tour guide Michael showing us the fuse used to ignite the cannons used during this battle.

Again - tilt head to the right. Steve takes in the sights of the Valley of Death.

Tilt one more time…this is General Robert E Lee’s memorial from the state of Alabama.

These are renactors from Texas. They started marching from the memorial for the state of Texas and were trying to remarch the same path the members from the Texas regiment would have marched into battle. Our tour guide Mike said that renactors show up every day to trace the steps of the soldiers and since it is a federal park - you can march anywhere - much like they are.

This is a barn that stood during the battle. There is a house next door that the park rangers can stay in. The neat thing about this barn is the cannon hole in the top. You can see the whole on the front side in this photo. The cannon ball went clean through and at just the right angle you can see the light shine through the hole on the other side. I was not quick enough to catch this. There was another home in town that we went by that had holes in the bricks where shots hit it during battle.

Another interesting fact I did not know is that there was only one civilian causualty form the town of Gettysburg. Jeanne Wade was cooking busicuts for the troops in her kitchen when a stray bullet traveled through her door and into her back - killing her in her kitchen. She was only 20 years old and was to marry a military man who was killed in battle just a few months after her death - although he did not know of Jeanne’s fate.

There are too many interesting facts to write them all - but I will leave you with a few more pictures. This is Steve trying to capture a decent picture of his sons:

And I must be allergic to a weed here because this is a picture of my blotchy/itchy/swelled foot. I started to itch all over by the time we were finished with the tour. I did shower tonight which helped with the itching and took some benedryl as well. Feeling much better already.

We’ll have to just wait and see how I feel in the morning to be sure to report a clean bill of health! Thought for a moment there it could be poisony ivy or oak. That would have been awful!

Talk to you all again tomorrow as we head to Plymouth Rock - you know where that big rodeo happened with the Indians and the Cowboys! (What? is that not what happened? I am discovering my history knowledge is not the best - sorry Mr. Roland - high school history teacher).

Back from my ‘vacation.’ I did manage to squeeze in a few days at the hills this weekend to give myself a vacation! We took the Harley out to the Hills and it was spectacular. I have never seen the Hills from a bike and it is something to do if you ever get the chance. It is just a different and great view! And the photographer that I claim to be I got no pictures! But on the bike with no saddle bags - a camera is not easy to transport. I lost my cell phone in Custer…thought I lost it off the bike but I ended up just leaving it at a restaraunt - so I recovered that!

We also got pulled over on the bike because the Hy-po thought it was too loud and wanted to make sure we weren’t running straight pipes! And we were NOT so he let us go…said they are cracking down on loud bikes in the hill - people are sick of them. Well then I ask, “Are they sick of all the money the bikers spend there too?” Because if they are…then complain about the bikes - if not…then shut up!

Ok…I am done ranting and probably should actually do some work today! Hope you had a great weekend and will talk to you more this afternoon during Drivetime! ~ erin

I am on VACATION - technically! But today I am in the office. I only came to go out for lunch with Dee and pick up a few things - but while I am here I got roped into doing some website work, e-mail some information and I decided that I could let you know I am working again!

Acutallly - I have been working most of the day. I pulled weeds all morning in my flower beds and then I moved to the garden (which I am growing more weeds than food). The bugs are awful at my place though. I covered myself head to toe in 45% deet bug spray and still got eatedn alive. I could not bring myself to putting on long pants and a long sleeve shirt in this heat to continue - so I am going to do laundry now instead and try to weed the garden a little later tonight when I am able to put on more clothes!

I am leaving work now - so have a good day and THANK YOU to all of you who have to work in this kind of heat every day! I could not do it with out a mild case of heat stroke. You guys are AWSOME! ~ erin

I am technically supposed to be on vacation - but I am talking to Dee on the phone right now and Crawford is e-mailing me work to do. He is so going to owe me when I get back. Hope all is well and you are not cooking too much in this heat! I am at the photo studio working on my stuff there - in AC comfort thankfully! Tomorrow I will be tearing down some old sheds - I think it is supposed to be 95 degrees! I will be sun burnt! Talk to you all soon! ~ erin

It is my blog…so I can push my agenda - TABOR CZECH DAYS. I will be there this weekend - will you? Find out more about the Czech festival by going to the website - www.taborczechdays.com

And just so you know how cool it really is - here I am with the President of the Czech Republic in 2005 Vaclav Klaus

I got to meet the President all because of Czech Days! One more of me in my Czech Kroje (costume) after I won the national Miss Czech-Slovak USA title in 2004!

It happens to everyone - BAD DAYS! And vacation nightmares….but this is far from a nightmare - just a small set back. We will be gone in half an hour and will have a great story when we get back about how the WNAX Chicago trip started! Talk to you again on Tuesday! ~ erin

(I can’t get the picture to upload now…will see what I can do on the way~e)

I know that many have told me about being in South Dakota Magazine…but I got my copy today and YES I am in the center of the magazine. If you want to see me - buy the May/June issue! - Had a question of how old this picture is…was taken last June at last year’s Czech Days! Why? Do I look that much older in my recent pictures?

I say this every time I go - because I  always have cavities BUT I am NEVER going to the dentist ever again! I HATE it - my ears feel like they could bleed just as much as my mouth does! Stupid Dentist! ~ e